One Fish, Two Fish
by snowangel4
Summary: Finale Free! S/V Relationships are on the rocks as both Syd and Vaughn battle for thier lives, and each other. *COMPLETE*
1. Prelude to Disaster

Title:  One Fish, Two Fish

Author: Snowangel (Christie17@alloymail.com) Feel free to email me about the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Yet. 

Spoilers: Up to Season 2 I think.  This takes place before Phase One, because if it didn't absolutely nothing would make sense. Syd and Vaughn haven't gotten together yet.

Authors Note: Im so excited! I have just had an enlightening experience! I've somehow conjured up a brilliant plot for this story! Woohoo! Ok so I think its brilliant but hey, cut me some slack its my first Alias fic. I really hope you like this story and I know similar plot lines to this have been done in the past but trust me, mine is definitely an original. Hehehe. Oh yeah, this story isn't about fish (contrary to the title) so don't worry!

Chapter 1

Sydney Bristow let out a huge sigh of frustration as she slammed her hands down on the steering wheel in defeat. It was insane, trying to pass through rush hour traffic in L.A, in less than an hour. Vaughn has just called, she could sense the urgency and stress in his voice, even though he had only said two words; "Joey's Pizza?" She had hung up the phone and immediately headed out her front door, grabbing only her keys. And now here she was, stuck on 694, in what looked like a parking lot rather than a freeway. She absent-mindedly flipped on the radio, but all that blared back at her were mindless commercials. Feeling defeated yet again she turned off the radio and stared at the clock. 5:02. Vaughn was going to pissed, not that he'd ever show it. He was probably at the warehouse already. She could practically see him there, in the musty warehouse, halfway hidden by the long shadows cast by the late afternoon sun.  She snapped out of her daydream and stole another glance at the clock. 5:03. "Damn it!" she said under her breath as she contemplated calling him on his cell, but decided against it. She laid her head back on the seat as one last defeat and just sat there, giving in to the stationary traffic.

Sydney finally arrived at the warehouse around six o'clock. Vaughn's ears perked up as he heard her footsteps, not steady and paced like usual, but more hurried and with different shoes, with less of an echo. Tennis shoes, he thought to himself, it was a Monday, but she had taken the day off and called in sick, and therefore wasn't wearing the usual three-inch heels. Sydney suddenly appeared in front of him, he was too busy thinking of what she could be wearing with those tennis shoes to notice that the footsteps had stopped. 

"Sorry I'm late." She said quickly, pulling Vaughn out of his trance, and she wasn't greeted with his normal warmness. Instead, Vaughn wasted no time and he got right down to business.

"Syd, when you were on your last SD-6 mission in Fez, did they have to do any black market trading for them?" he questioned, his green eyes beating down at her. Sydney was intently listening him, returning his gaze. 

"No I just completed the mission, the usual grab and go." She said with an even voice, not knowing where this conversation was headed. 

"The CIA has obtained photos of you and Armando Salvatore in Fez." He said as he pulled out a large manila envelope and handed it to her. 

"Armando Salvatore, the world's third largest black market weapons dealer." She said softly, calling the name from her memory. "That's impossible." Sydney slightly shook her head in confusion. 

"So SD-6 didn't have you contact him?" Vaughn asked as he studied her, he started at her feet, indeed she was wearing tennis shoes, but also some sort of velour pants and tank top. He let his eyes wander up her body, greedily taking in the view. 

"No. As far as I know Salvatore still holds a grudge against SD-6 and hasn't traded with them for five years. You know these pictures could have easily been foraged. 

How did the CIA get these?" She asked skimming through the pictures contained in the manila envelope, her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated.  

"Routine security checks. They were checking out security cameras in the hotels of all major cities overseas and you came up from the face recognition software." He paused and studied her face for a moment. He blushed when she looked up and found him staring at her. Sydney's face also flushed as she self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and they both looked away for a moment, trying to regain their composure. Vaughn cleared his voice and spoke, breaking the awkward moment and tension. 

"Do you know of anyone that would want the CIA to think that you're in on black market trading?" 

"I don't know, it can't be any one from SD-6, but other than that it's impossible to track down anything about anyone."

He nodded in agreement. A small pause followed.

"Is that all?" Sydney inquired, while she took her turn to study his face while she handed the folder back to him.

"Yeah," he said, not really wanting her to leave. "Is SD-6 still planning the mission in Russia?" 

"Yeah, I leave on Wednesday." She said, dreading what that day would bring.

"I'll have your counter-mission ready for tomorrow then."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Right," Vaughn said as she walked away. "Syd," he called after her, "Be careful."

She turned around and half smiled at him in response. 

~~~~~***~~~~~

He sat at the table waiting, it was cold, it was always cold here, a reflection of so many things but mostly of himself. A single lamp dangled from the ceiling, dimly lighting the dank room.  All was quiet and he heard nothing except the heavy breathing of the burly guards that stood outside the door. Finally he could hear footsteps coming down the hallway, echoing so much that he almost couldn't stand the sound of it when it hit his ears. She finally appeared in the doorway, standing tall, dark hair cascading just to her shoulders, with a shadow casting darkness over her face. She made her way to the table and pulled out a chair, but remained standing, showing she had control.

He was the first one to speak. "You got them?" he asked in a thick French accent, trying to not show her his fear and yet attempting to intimidate her at the same time. 

"Of course I got them. You do what I said?" Her dark eyes focusing on his little beady ones, silently warring with him, each trying to gain an upper hand.

             "It was simple," he said arrogantly. "I just hacked into their mainframe and the CIA placement system and placed the surveillance pictures in their files. Does the CIA suspect anything?"

             "No." 

            "Good. What about Gulnik?" He asked in a low voice as he shifted in his chair. 

            "What about him? He's dead." She said nonchalantly as she began pacing back and forth across the room.

            "I thought you said no casualties this time." He said, anger creeping into his voice.

            "Yeah well things got messy, you do what you gotta do." She retorted.

            "This little habit of yours will give you away if you keep it up. I'd never thought I'd see the day when you of all people would despoil this. This is just the sort of thing Irina Derevko was sure not to let happen." He said, the corners of his mouth slightly curving up into a smile.

She whirled around at the sound of the name. "How dare you bring my mother into this. You are not to even mention her name." She said vehemently with a steady voice, her face contorting from annoyance to rage. 

He drew back, his face turning white, he knew her temper but yet he couldn't resist the temptation of setting her off, he thrived on her passion.  She pushed the chair in, signaling the meeting was over, throwing him a steely glance. She strode over to his side of the table, cowering over him while he sat in the metal chair. She reached in her tall black boots and before he knew what was happening he heard a loud bang and felt a sudden burning in his left foot. He looked down and saw a gaping hole, and smelled the acrid stench of gunpowder and he looked up at her again. She simply blinked and said, "You should know better by now." as she spun on her heels and exited. 

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	2. An Occurance

~Hey y'all! Sorry for the delay! The SAT's and ACT's totally suck! Anyways, on with the story- just a reminder that this takes place around the end of season one, so Francie's not evil, SD-6 hasn't fallen, etc.

Chapter 2

*** Nuclear Ops Center, Minsk, Russia***

            Sydney's feet padded down the corridor making tiny smudges on the newly waxed floor. She was wearing a typical business suit and a short black wig that fell to about length of her chin. Her eyes made one last sweep of the hallway before she whipped out her cell phone equipped to decode the encryption that would open the door to the control room. She waited impatiently as the numbers scrolled on the screen, tapping her toes on the floor.  She heard a voice come over her comm link. 

            "You in yet?" It was Dixon. 

            "No, just give me 10 more seconds." She whispered quietly. She looked down at the phone. Only one number left. She heard another voice, only it wasn't Dixon this time. The voice was coming from the hallway, and was approaching quickly. She looked down at her phone in desperation and as if on cue, it beeped and the code was broken. Sydney quickly entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind her, in the nick of time. She scanned the room and was surprised to find it unoccupied, she was sure she was going to have to take down at least one computer nerd. Sydney wasted no time and ran over the main computer and inserted a disk that she had pulled out from her purse. "I'm in 

Dixon." 

Two minutes later, with the disk carefully stowed away in her purse, Sydney quickly made her way back down the hallway and into the elevator. The doors were almost shut as a hand made its way in, sending the doors sprawling back open. A tall man wearing a suit and a scowl entered the elevator, and Sydney took a step back, making room for him. He glanced up at her, and upon sweeping his eyes over her body, gave her an approving smile. She said nothing but offered him a timid but flirtatious smile. She counted the seconds in her head, as time seemed to pass ever so slowly. Finally the polite ding of the elevator signaled her liberating release and she quickly exited the elevator, leaving the creepy man behind. She passed the information desk out front, which was filled with useless information and an annoyingly perky secretary. She strode confidently out of the building and spoke into her comm link "Alright I'm out. Meet me at the extraction point in 2 minutes."

 "Roger that." Dixon said with a slight smile in his voice.  Sydney pulled back the glass doors and hurried down the surprisingly desolate sidewalk. She glanced down at her watch and felt a few sprinkles of rain splash down on her, staining the sidewalk darker. Sydney had just turned into a dark alleyway when she heard steady footsteps behind her. She knew better than to turn around and look so she kept walking, placing a hand by her hip, feeling her gun. 

As the rain continued, she concentrated on the footsteps, concluding it was a man, probably of average height and weight, but he walked with a slight limp, which was apparent by his uneven cadence. She passed cars parked on the curb along side her and slowed her steps ever so slightly to catch a glance in the side mirrors but as she turned her head to the side to look, Sydney felt something come into contact with the side of her head with such a force it almost knocked her off of her feet. The rain started pouring out of the ominous clouds as up to face her attacker, which turned out to be two. One, the man who was following behind her, and the other a woman, whose face was concealed by a black ski mask. Sydney let her instincts take over as quickly sprung to her feet as she first struck the man behind her, taking him down in one swift kick. This distracted the woman who for just one second let her guard down as Sydney jumped up to kick her in the stomach, but the woman was lithe and adapted, blocking her as they engaged in a full fight. Sydney faced the woman, as she flung her legs up in the air in a roundhouse kick. Her foot coming in contact with the head of her attacker seemed to render the woman unconscious, as Sydney radioed Dixon and ran off to the extraction point while the rain relentlessly pelted down on her. 

*** Bristow and Calfo Residence, L.A***

A distinct smell wafted through the humid air and reached Sydney's nose. "Francie must be cooking." She thought trying to distinguish the aroma, as she stepped out of the shower. Sydney quickly got dressed in a tank top and some comfortable pajama pants as she went to join Francie in the kitchen. 

"Hey." She greeted Francie, brushing back her damp hair.

"Hey you." Francie said as she glanced up from her bubbling concoction. 

"What smells so good?" She asked, leaning over the stove, trying to catch a glimpse of the enticing food.

" Fettuccini Alfredo. " 

"Yum. I'm starving. Where's Will?"

"He just ran out to grab some wine."

"Oh okay." Sydney said as she reached up and grabbed some plates from the cupboard, and began setting the table, relishing the time she had to catch up with Francie. "So how's life at the restaurant?"

"Crazy as usual. Yesterday a guy actually came back into the kitchen, complaining and threatening to sue because there were nuts in the pie that he ordered. Guess what kind of pie?" She asked, not waiting for an answer, "Pecan pie. Apparently he was allergic to all types of nuts and so his head started swelling up like a watermelon and we had to call an ambulance to get him to the hospital."

Sydney burst our laughing but later tried to withhold her laughter after getting a sharp glare from Francie who was still annoyed over the incident. Thankfully, Sydney was freed from Francie's stare when Will walked in the door.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" Will asked as he took off his jacket and set a bottle of wine on the counter. 

"No we were just getting ready to eat. Sit down." Sydney motioned as Francie brought the hot food over to the table. Just then Syd heard her cell phone ringing from her bedroom. She sighed and momentarily left the room while Francie and Will sat down at the table. Syd returned, and joined her two friends for dinner.  
            "Wrong number." She explained as she began to eat. Will knowingly caught Sydney's eye, exchanging a secret glance. She just shook her head ever so slightly and rolled her eyes. She was determined to have a meal with her friends; the CIA would just have to wait.

An hour later, Sydney found herself jogging through the park, with a coin in her hand. She dropped it in a homeless man's cup and continued on to the broken pay phone. Sydney made her entrance and expectantly found herself at the CIA headquarters. She was almost instantaneously joined by Vaughn, who immediately spoke. "Kendall's requested a meeting with you as soon as you get here." Vaughn glanced up, and gently took her by the arm and whispered into her ear as a warning. "He's really pissed so be prepared."

Sydney felt tiny shivers travel up and down her spine at his touch and his hot breath so close to her face.  She shook the feeling away and just nodded and let out an exasperated sigh, heading towards his office. 

Kendall looked up at her from his vantage point at his desk as she entered the room. 

"Agent Bristow. So happy you could finally join me." He said with an even voice, mixed with a little hint of sarcasm. " Please, sit down."

Sydney sat down on the plush chair that accompanied the latter side of his desk.  She remained quiet and knowingly waited for him to continue.  

"We've recovered some video footage from some of our CIA counterparts from other parts of the world." He paused, and motioned to the computer screen at his desk. "As you can see, this is from the First World Banking Firm in Minsk. And the man here, is Pavel Yerik, former sales ops that was affiliated with the KGB. Now as far as we know, for the past ten years he has been inactive." He paused and looked at her for a moment, letting out a small sigh. Sydney looked up from the screen and confusedly returned his glance. He went on, "This is video footage of him, setting up a bank account at around 3:15 yesterday. This of course is not an overly unusual activity, but what is unusual is that he seems to be setting up a joint account." Kendall paused again, this time letting his glance land on the screen, and allowing the tape to play. Sydney watched with interest as she saw another figure enter the screen and take a seat next to him. She watched as the security camera zoomed in closer, and revealed her, sitting beside him. She drew in a quick breath and looked to Kendall as he spoke, "Apparently a joint account with you. Would you like to explain yourself?"

Sydney spoke for the first time at the meeting. "That's impossible, this has to be bogus footage, anyone could have made this up."

Kendall stood up and started pacing. "Normally that would be true, but due to the interaction between you and him on the footage and the fact that it came directly from a CIA database, we can assume that this is accurate." 

She looked back at the computer screen, showing the two of them at the desk, holding hands and then also them, rising to leave, and herself quickly kissing him on the cheek.  She mulled over Kendall's words. "You can _assume_ this is accurate?" She questioned furiously. "That's insane!"

"Agent Bristow now is not the time to get upset. My patience is already running very thin so I advise you to comply with my orders of having you taken in for further questioning."

"What?!" She said, flying up from her chair to face Kendall. 

"This is the second time we have discovered data on you and extraneous activity taking place outside of both the CIA and SD-6. You know that I consider you with my highest regards and you are one of our best agents but I must follow protocol. So I suggest that you quietly go in for questioning so I won't have to resort to using force."  Kendall said as his voice started to rise. "If you don't have anything to hide then what's the harm?" He added.

"The harm is you not trusting me." Sydney said in an eerily even tone, while she locked eyes with Kendall.

 Kendall stood back and hesitated for a second, not knowing how to reply. Determined to keep his front he stated. " I think they're ready to see you now Agent Bristow." Sydney turned on her heels and hurriedly stormed out of his office. 

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	3. Lingering Questions

Chapter Three

*Sorry for the delay! Please review…doesn't have to be long, I just want to know if anyone is reading this. And thank you so much to the people that have, you make me happy!

            Sydney made her way through the center of the building in a hurry, her head bent down in deep concentration as her thoughts ran wild. Vaughn sat his computer filing data when he noticed the streak of red of Sydney's tank top fly by in a whirl. He shot up out of his chair and ran to catch up with her.

            "Sydney!" He called out her name as he approached her. She looked up and he say her troubled face an immediately knew something had gone wrong. A mixture of fear, shock and anger played upon Sydney's features as Vaughn spoke, "What happened?"

            For a moment she struggled to find the right words before blurting out, "I have to go down for questioning, they found a tape of me and Pavel Yerik doing business together." She spoke as the last few words came out bitterly.

            "Who? What? How?" He questioned with a confused look on his face. Sydney would have laughed if she weren't in the situation she was in.  She turned and started walking again, " Pavel Yerik, was formerly associated with the KGB. There is video footage of me and him at a bank in Russia opening a joint account…"

            "And Kendall thinks your working for someone else, because of the video and the photograph we received last week." He finished for her as they reached the elevator. She pushed small the button down and looked up at him. He stood there facing the ground, she could practically see the gears turning in his head as his brow furrowed. He looked back up at her. His face showed concern but he managed to sound professional, "I'll talk to Kendall." He offered. 

            "No that's okay, he's not in any mood to receive visitors that's for sure." She said, her voice dripping with resentment. "And he's probably not going to want to hear from you, given his obvious disapproving thoughts on our," She paused, catching herself about to say relationship, but stopped and was suddenly at a lost for words. What were Vaughn and her anyways? Mercifully Sydney was saved by the muted ding of the elevator, and she looked towards Vaughn again. 

            "Good luck." He said after a moment, offering his words as some sort of hope for her.

            "Yeah, thanks." She said as she entered the elevator and watched the doors slide shut, his worried face replaced by the reflection of herself in the all too shiny doors. 

*** 2 a.m, CIA basement***

Sydney sat in the empty hallway, her head leaning against the wall, eyes shut in attempt to feign sleep. Her ears perked up at the sound of a door opening and her eyelids slowly came up, allowing her to see. She stood and found the two men that had questioned her, Newman and Brobeck, in the doorway, one of them holding a file

"Agent Bristow." Newman spoke, his voice filling up the silence, almost too much as it echoed down the isolated hallway. "We have concluded that you are not currently involved in any illegal activities outside of the CIA and SD-6 and therefore we are not putting you in custody and are releasing you to carry out all duties as normal, this includes all activities at SD-6. However, you will be under strict supervision and intensified security while on missions for both parties." She looked at him with tired eyes, saying nothing.

"You are free to go." He added as she let out a noticeable sigh of relief.

"Thank you." Were her only words spoken as she headed out towards the elevators trying to think of a way to explain to Francie why she had gone out jogging for over six hours. 

***Residence of Stephen Herrberger, Stockholm, Sweden***

            Sydney made her way across the large expanse of roof that lay under her feet. It was morning, and there was a brilliant sunrise, just breaking over the horizon. She looked over the edge of the house and saw two guards in the yard, about three stories below her, and a black sedan pulling out of the driveway. She dropped to her stomach so the driver couldn't spot her on the roof and stayed there, until she saw the large iron gates at the entrance close behind it as it sped off. "This is bluebird, reporting two guards in the yard, armed. The target just left." She whispered in her com link. 

            "Alright, all security systems down. You're clear to go in." Dixon voice greeted back at her as she made her way over to a skylight above a bathroom.  

            "Copy that." Sydney reached into the pocket of her tight black pants and pulled out what appeared to be a pen. She unzipped the small bag that rested on her back and pulled out a circular device with a handle. She flicked the end of a pen and a laser beam shot out the end of it. Putting the circular device on the skylight, she twisted its handle and it let out a small noise as it suctioned itself to the glass. Sydney pointed the pen at the glass and it silently sliced right through the material. After making a large circle with the laser, she flicked it off and carefully pulled the glass up, revealing a hole large enough for her to pass through.  She pulled a rope out of her bag as she secured one end to the roof, and the other through the hook on her belt. "Alright Dixon, Im going in. Requesting three minutes of radio silence."

            "Roger that." He said professionally. Sydney lowered herself into the house, landing in a large bathroom, complete with a Jacuzzi that had a built in television system. She glanced around the room, and then into the hallway as she switched com links.

            "Boy Scout I'm in position." She said while pulling out the bug she was supposed to plant on Herrberger's computer, along with the CIA issued on that fit snugly on top of it. 

            "I got you Freelancer. Proceed as planned." A familiar voice called back to her. She made her way out into the deserted hallway, down a flight of stairs and into a lavish library. She made her way over to the computer, prying off the exterior with a tiny screwdriver and opening up the hard drive.

            "Red wire, blue wire." She said to herself as she placed the bug over the two wires. She closed up the hard drive and quickly turned on the computer to see if it was working. The screen lit up and Sydney spoke into her link, "Alright Boy Scout, it's placed."

            "Okay. Hold for confirmation." Vaughn voice spoke back to her as she impatiently tapped her toes. While scanning for signs of her presence, the voice interrupted her thoughts, " Were good, activating the second one." Vaughn's voice said as he activated SD-6's bug so they would be fed the same information. 

            "I'm leaving." Sydney said as turned off the computer, hurrying towards the door, eyes flitting over the desolate hallway before making her way back up to the bathroom and up through the skylight. She turned and replaced the gaping hole left by her entrance with the same glass she extracted, but first placing an extra heavy adhesive to the sides, developed by Marshall that would hold the glass in the exact same place. She switched com links as she spoke to Dixon. "I'm out, do you got it?" She asked, already knowing the answer. 

            "We got it. Nice work." Dixon said.

            "Thanks, see you at home." She replied. 

            After catching her flight from Stockholm, Sydney found herself in Washington D.C at the Dulles airport, waiting for her connecting flight that would bring her home to L.A. She slumped in the hard plastic chair in a Starbucks close to her gate, checking her watch.  9 A.M. Two hours until her flight.  She sighed, it had been almost 24 hours since she had last slept, even though she had unsuccessfully tried to fall asleep on her long flight back from Sweden. She blinked her eyes and looked at the bustling crowds around her. Surely there was a CIA agent watching her from somewhere, she remembered hearing the words "strict supervision" and "intensified security" from the agent back in L.A. She gave up looking, too tired to think rationally anyways, and finally succumbed to her heavy eyelids that were persistently fighting to close, as she drifted off to sleep. 

*** 2 hours later***

            "This is Freedom Flyer reporting to base. Freelancer has not boarded the plane. I repeat, has not boarded the plane and we are due for departure in T minus 60 seconds." The agent spoke quietly in to her watch. She looked up, making one last sweep of the plane from her vantage point in front of the cabin as she straightened out her uniform and smiled at a late oncoming passenger who was scurrying to his seat. She heard the mute ding of a bell and started prepping the plane for take off and soon she stood in front of the bored passengers, making arm gestures towards the exits with a strained smile upon her face. She knew this was bad, Agent Bristow was supposed to board the plane and fly back to L.A. The only other thing she knew is that she was supposed to keep a trained eye on her at all times. She finished her safety instructions and went back up to the front of the plane to mull over her thoughts in privacy.

*** CIA  Joint Tasks Force Building, L.A***

"Devlin, may I have a word with you?" Jack asked as he quickly stepped into the man's office.

            "Of course." He said, momentarily putting down the file he was reading as he directed his attention towards Jack. Jack sat down at the desk, as he briefly surveyed the room before speaking. 

            "It has come to my attention that the Alliance is weakening. Someone has been stealing information that was previously in sole procession of the Alliance. I discovered this when I overhead a phone conversation of Sloane's that revealed this, along with his anxiety over this development. The stolen information holds a list of almost all of the Alliance's connections, including SD cells and planned future activity." Jack said with a troubled look playing upon his face. Devlin was immediately attentive and was now leaning forward in his chair.

            "When did you find this out?" he asked, not bothering with formalities.

            "About two hours ago. I came as soon as I could get out of SD-6 safely."  Devlin just nodded, his brow furrowed, knowing the catastrophic repercussions that could occur if this information got into the wrong hands. 

"Any idea of who has obtained this information?" He asked as he studied Jack.

Jack paused, with a worried look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but then deciding against it, shut it and shook his head. "Not besides all the normal suspects. There are innumerable people and covert agencies that would delight in the fall of the Alliance." He said, as if his statement was a compromise of his original thoughts. Devlin immediately picked up on his apprehensive actions and chose to address it right away.

"Agent Bristow I don't need to remind you the seriousness of this intel you just gave me, and its possible devastating effects on the entire hierarchy of the world's organization and power." He said, staring at him, knowing that intimidation tactics would yield no results, but hopeful that his sincerity would encourage Jack to tell all. Jack sighed, knowing what he had to do.

"I've been having my doubts about Sydney. As you probably know Kendall has already had her been questioned about some footage we have of her in various places that neither the CIA nor SD-6 has sent her to. She doesn't seem to be as devoted lately. God knows she has motives to bring the Alliance and SD-6 down, and maybe sometimes even the CIA. You have to understand what Sydney's gone through." He said. "But I don't think she would go to such extremes."

"You realize that you're implicating your daughter in taking part in a third organization, suggesting she is a triple agent." Devlin asked, eyeing him up and down. Jack furrowed his brow and nodded slowly.

"Yes." 

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	4. Repression

~And yet another chapter! Sorry again for the delay. I'm so excited for the finale! Woo hoo! Anyways, this chapter has a little more swearing in it, just warning you, hence the PG-13 rating. That's all I have to say for now. Please remember to review!

*** Los Angeles Airport ***

            Two agents dressed in black waited by a red SUV, parked in the dimly lit parking garage.  Their ears perked up as the sound the distinct footsteps of Sydney Bristow echoed through the desolate garage.  They stood rigidly, hands eagerly inching towards their guns, waiting for her. Sydney had her head bent, wheeling her black luggage behind her, concentrating on the looping designs the cracks in the concrete made, thinking of how good it would be to finally go home.  She looked up as she approached her car, and was surprised to find two agents waiting for her. She searched their eyes, silently questioning their presence before they spoke. The two agents drew out their guns as they flashed their CIA badges. 

            "Agent Bristow, you're under arrest for treason of the United States government. Put your hands behind your head." The voice said, breaking the still air of the garage. Sydney whirled around in shock before she complied and stood still as they searched her for weapons and took her gun. 

            "What is going on?" she said, only to be answered by being handcuffed and shoved into a government car.

            "You have a right to remain silent. Anything said can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney…" He rambled on.

            "I'm gonna kill Devlin." She uttered under her breath, exasperated at her situation.

*** Basement of CIA Joint Tasks Force Building, LA ***

Sydney sat in the dank cell, staring straight ahead, still in disbelief at her situation. There was no one else present, just a guard at the entrance and the security camera for company. She looked around, realizing that her cell was almost identical to that of which her mother was in. She thought about her mother, desperately trying to understand her, what would motivate her to turn herself in to lead a life in a place like this? Her thoughts soon turned towards her own situation again as her rage started to build again. How dare they arrest her. After all she went through for them. Devlin was so going to hear about this; that is unless she was released, then she do some serious damage to him. Sydney sighed in frustration as she started frantically pacing across the small room, still trying to work things out. 'I wonder if Vaughn knows?' she thought. The mention of his name brought up images of him in her head. She scolded herself for thinking of him at a time like this. The loud clank of the rising metal bars pulled Sydney out of her reverie. She looked up and was met by the face of an unfamiliar agent. She quickly racked her brain of where she had seen his face before, Agent Knapp, she thought, placing him as Haladki's old partner. He was a high-ranking official, but he and Haladki had always despised her for some reason. She shuddered at the thought of him and put on a stern face.  

"Well Agent Bristow, it looks like you've been a busy girl." He began.

"What are you talking about?" Sydney questioned, desperately trying to control her anger as she gripped on to the metal bars of her cell.  He gave her a hard glace as he continued.

"Do you think its coincidence that the Alliance is missing data and no one seems to know who has it? Do you think it's a coincidence that the time when you mysteriously missed your flight in Washington D.C, there was a break in at Langley?"

"There was a break in at Langley?" She questioned, with surprise played upon her face.

"Oh don't sound so surprised Agent Bristow. You may have Agent Vaughn, your father and even Kendall wrapped around your little finger but I can see right through you."  He said snarling at her. "Now if you'll cooperate, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Why bother, you already seem to know all the answers." She challenged.

"You know, I could have you just taken immediately to jail, but Devlin insisted you be questioned. So if you don't want your ass to be hauled off to a federal prison right now, I suggest you fully cooperate." He said in a cold voice. He looked up at her, she was pacing back and forth in her cell, brooding over his words.

"Fine." She said quickly, unwillingly complying with his request.

"Good. Now if you'll sit down…"

"I'm very comfortable standing thank you." She said curtly. He looked up at her but chose to say nothing.

"Alright, Agent Bristow, why weren't you on your connecting flight back to L.A from Washington D.C?" 

            "I fell asleep."

            "You what?"

            "Fell asleep waiting. I hadn't slept for over 24 hours."

            "Right and this, sleeping, just happen to occur for four hours, just enough time to for you to conveniently make it to Langley and back. At precisely the same time as the break in at Langley occurred." 

            "I guess so." She said. "Look, isn't there video surveillance at the airport you can look at? I'm telling you I had nothing to do with it."

            "Yes but because we do not directly monitor the feed there is no way of confirming that you are really you, the video could have been tampered with. The Langley footage we have is enough to confirm your presence at the facility for about 15 minutes in which the data was stolen."

            "You think I was able to bypass maximum security at the most prestigious and protected intelligence facilities in the world, steal information, and make it out without being apprehended by any guards at any point in time. Now, I knew I was a good agent but damn, I didn't know I was that good." She said sarcastically, her anger mounting.

            "What can I say? Congratulations Agent Bristow, it looks like you pulled a Mission Impossible, now if we could only get Tom Cruise to back you on this…." He replied with equal sarcasm.

            "Look, I have been nothing but loyal to this organization, I have dedicated the last seven years of my life to the CIA and SD-6, all the while busting my ass for you people. I have lost and hurt so many people I loved and care about all for your goddamn agency and cause. Now the least you can do respect that, and me before I report you for your improper behavior, I'm sure your actions are breeching some sort of protocol." She said, practically spitting out the words, as her fists clenched in rage. He took a step back, knowing what she was capable of and was grateful for the glass that was separating them. "So I suggest, Agent Knapp that you get me the hell out of here or I'll see to it that you will never be able to have children!"

*** Upper Level of CIA Tasks Force Center, L.A ***

"Hey Mike!" Weiss called out. "Come here."

            "What?"

            "Um. I think you better take a look at this." He said quickly as he stood over a security screen. Vaughn looked down at the screen that revealed Sydney in a holding cell in the basement, talking to a man. Vaughn felt the anger rise up in him as he set his jaw. Weiss stood by, not saying anything, knowing that Vaughn would be livid. A voice rang out from behind them.

            "Agent Vaughn, I've been looking for you." Kendall's voice spoke, breaking the silence. 

            "What the hell is going on?" Vaughn said turning to the balding man.

            "Agent Vaughn, I am sure you are aware of Agent Bristow's current questionable status." Kendall said in a condescending voice. 

            "Yeah I'm aware of you being ridiculous. Why wasn't I told she was being brought in?" Vaughn set, noticeably upset.

            "We thought it'd be better if Agent Bristow not see or have contact with you."

            "What? I'm her goddamn handler! Who the hell is she supposed to see other than me?"

            "Agent Vaughn, normally that would be the case but given your, relationship, I thought it would be easier for everyone if you didn't see her."

            "You mean easier for you." He quipped as Kendall started to turn red in anger.

            "I am your superior here. I make the decisions. I get stuck with the crap that comes with them. And I can deal with that. But your professional relationship with Agent Bristow has been very questionable and I have tolerated that, knowing that you have done good work. But stunts such as these make me rethink that. There is a line that is drawn between what I can and cannot tolerate. Right now you are very close to the line. Don't make me reassign you." He said, making his superiority clear as he gave Vaughn one last warning look as he turned away into his office. 

Vaughn stood there, not knowing what to say, but knowing exactly what to do as he started off towards the elevator.  Weiss shifted, still uncomfortable about he confrontation but sprang into action as he noticed Vaughn's retreating figure. "Mike wait!" 

Review Please~!


	5. Liberation

****Sorry again for the delay! School's out in 1 week so then I'll be able to update frequently. As always, I still don't own anything and please review, it makes me happy! And thank you to all of you who have reviewed thus far, you made my day! J

 "Sydney!"  He called out her name, getting there just in time to hear her threaten Knapp. Their heads spun around as they heard Vaughn's voice.

"Agent Vaughn what are you doing here?" Knapp asked with irritation.

"What does it look like im doing here? I'm talking to my agent." He said as he looked at Sydney, who was staring at him with her deep brown eyes.

"I'm sure this little meeting wasn't cleared by Devlin." Knapp said, reverting his attention back to Sydney. 

"Well why don't you leave and go find out?" Vaughn countered, not willing to put up with Knapp. Knapp returned Vaughn's bickering. 

"Fine. I will. But use your time wisely Agent Vaughn, I'm sure it will only take a couple of minutes before I get you kicked out of here." He said as he turned and exited. Vaughn watched the Agent leave but wasted no time as he turned back to Sydney.

"Are you okay?" He questioned. She nodded, still angry with Knapp. "Syd, they have a tape of you." 

"I know." She said, shaking her head a little as if to clear her thoughts. She looked up at Vaughn, who was studying her intently. 

"Syd, if you have anything at all to tell me do it now." Vaughn quietly voiced. Sydney's mind raced; sure she had a ton of things to tell him, that little three-word phrase came to mind. She pushed away all thoughts of him and back to her situation. Was he really questioning her loyalty? She looked at him, seeing in his vivid green eyes that he wanted to believe her. 

"Vaughn, all I know is that somebody or someone is trying to do this. They're trying to bring me down. Don't you see that they're framing me?" She asked tensely. She looked at Vaughn, who was content at studying his shoes at the moment. She watched him as he nodded and looked back up at her.

"It'll be okay." He said, noticing her vulnerability as she stood in her cell, her dark eyes mirroring her fright. 

"I just, I just don't understand Vaughn." She said desperately, swallowing the lump forming in her throat as she turned away slightly. 

"Neither do I."

"I need you to do something." She said, her eyes tearing up as she bit her lip and took a deep breath, trying to gain control.

"What's that?" He asked, praying it wasn't anything illegal that the security cameras would catch, but in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't. 

" I need you to trust me Vaughn." She said, looking down at the floor. "I, I need you right now." Vaughn gazed back into her eyes as she stared at her shoes. 

"I trust you Sydney, I'll always trust you." He watched her chest breathe a sigh of relief, as she looked up at him. 

"Syd, I'll get to the bottom of this. I promise." He said, a comfortable silence falling between them. Sydney's and Vaughn's ears perked up as they heard a voice talking to the guard that was situated down the hallway. 

            "I better go before they throw me in there with you." He said, attempting at a joke. Sydney made a little smile and nodded. Vaughn looked at her once last time before quickly making his way down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the guard. 

Vaughn's head was spinning as pushed the button of the elevator, trying to sort out all of the information. He reached the main floor of the building and the doors flew open. Suddenly he knew who he needed to talk to. He pushed another button, heading right back to where he'd came from. 

Sydney sat in her cell discontentedly. She struggled to work through all of the facts out in her head. She watched as the guard came into view, looking for Vaughn. The guard took a quick glance around and then his eyes rested on hers. Sydney was in no mood for any more company and gave him a cold stare. He immediately turned and walked back to his vantage point at the gates. Sydney sat in her cell, just thinking. About Vaughn, about her mother, about the son of a bitch who was doing this to her. She wore herself out as she played out countless possibilities and suspects, but finding flaws in each one. She worried about Francie, what would the CIA tell her? She knew that Francie would be worried about her.  Sydney stood up, and brought herself out of the questions that relentlessly bombarded her mind. She had lost all track of time, and didn't even know if it was night or day. She was hungry, but she hadn't seen anyone since the guard came around. She paced around the cramped cell, her body was tired, her mind exhausted. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept. She finally settled on trying to get some sleep as she made her way to the dismal cot laid out for her. Syd laid down, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before darkness invaded her world.  

"Agent Bristow." Sydney was awakened by a loud voice. She sat up quickly, not sure if it was real or a dream. She turned around and was greeted by the face of Kendal. She inwardly groaned, the voice hadn't been a dream.  "Agent Bristow." He repeated as she stood up and made her way over towards the gate. "I thought you'd like to know that you've been cleared for now." Kendal said gruffly. Sydney remained silent. "However you are to be confined to the areas of this facilities, and are only being released to keep your cover at SD-6."

"What?" 

"We can't prove that you weren't at the airport at this time, and until further investigation, we cannot have formal charges brought against you. Therefore we need you to continue to working for SD-6, you will have a tracking device on you at all times, that you are not in this facility and will only report to SD-6 any further goings will be in violation of your orders. You will adhere to these rules or otherwise you'll find yourself back where you are right now." 

Sydney nodded, taking it all in. Kendal started to turn away and motioned for the guards to unlock her.  "You said that you can't have formal charges against me anymore, but someone must have brought up the charges in the first place." She said, questioning him. Kendal said nothing for a minute but then responded.

"The individual who implicated you is a high ranking senior officer and shall remain anonymous." He said, a troubled look crossing his face, if only for a second. Sydney picked up on it and realized who it was. 

"It was my dad wasn't it?" She asked in an even voice, more of a statement that a question.  Kendal didn't respond but the look on his face said it all. Sydney knew she was right as he turned and walked away, motioning to the guards to let her out.  She stared at his back as he walked away, anger at her dad starting to brew inside of her as she heard the clicks of the locks being turned. 

REVIEW!   I know there wasn't a lot of action in this chapter, and there was a lot of dialogue but I think I need to layout the groundwork before I take off in next chapter. Please review, and feel free to give me any ideas you might have on it. Thanks!


	6. Happenings

Okay, so I have officially neglected this story, I'm so sorry! I want to thank everyone who reviewed, you made my day! I also want to thank everyone that reviewed Recrudescence, I loved your reviews but I'm pretty sure it's going to stay a one-parter, but thank you so much for reviewing! (read it if you haven't – I think it's my best fic so far) 

Again, sorry for the delay. But this chapter is twice as long as my others, I guess that kind of makes up for it. J 

            Vaughn picked up his pace as he headed towards the cell. He hated going to see her, but he knew he had to. He started to get nervous, what would he say to her? How does one start off a conversation with the woman who killed your father?  He neared her cell and was surprised to hear her voice call out to him calmly. "Agent Vaughn." She stated flatly, her voice not giving space to any curiosity.

            "Irina." He answered back.  She stared at him for a moment, any emotion cleverly masked. He glanced up at her, took a deep breath and began. "Sydney's been arrested. She's being held here for treason. Someone has set her up, I need to know who." 

            Irina's face gave way to change, truly surprised at his words. She stood for a moment, not speaking, but then found her voice. "What do you mean by set her up?"

            "Fake camera feeds, posing as her with several notorious members of the KGB, a break into Langley." He listed off quickly, watching her mind work. 'Who would want to bring Sydney down?' He silently questioned, his mind already sorting out the obvious suspects such as Sark, but that didn't make sense. He looked back at Irina; she looked as if she was off in another world, figuring some complex puzzle out in her head.

            "I need to speak with Jack."

            "What?"

            "I need to speak with Jack before I say anything." She stated as if she was in command of him, instead of the other way around. Her tone angered Vaughn, who was already exerting himself by just meeting with her.

            "Look, if you have any information and leads on this you have to tell me. I don't need to remind you that if you withhold information you're violating you deal." He demanded, giving her a steely glance. He noticed she didn't respond to his threat at the least. "If not for the CIA's sake at least to help your daughter, but then again why should I expect you to do that?" He said coldly.

            She perked up at the sound of his biting words, but stood there unaffected.

            "Set up a meeting between me and Jack and I'll help you." She said simply. Vaughn opened his mouth to speak but Irina cut in, "You won't get anything out of me before you do, so I suggest you do it."  She said, her eyes narrowing slightly, making contact with his, brown eyes meeting green. He returned her stare, not shying away from it. They stood there for a few long moments, silently warring each other. Vaughn blinked and acquiesced. "Fine."

***Meanwhile***

            The familiar workstations flew by in a blur as Sydney strode through the main floor and made her way to her father's office. She brought her hand up and quickly rapped on the door with two sharp knocks, not waiting for an answer as she flung the door open and stepped inside. She found her father at his desk, leafing through a file. Her abrupt entrance jolted him from his thoughts as he looked up at her. She didn't bother with formalities.

            "You told Kendall I was a triple agent?" She asked venomously. Jack was a little displaced at her behavior for a second but almost instantly regained his composure.

            "Sydney, I did no such thing. I simply expressed the fact that you are capable of being a triple agent, and that you have motivation to do so." Jack said calmly.

            "I have motivation?" She asked,  "I have motivation?" she repeated, her voice escalating, along with her anger. "I'll tell you what I have motivation to do right now…" she began, staring at her father, both knowing full well that she could take him.

            "Sydney!" Jack demanded sharply. "You need to calm down."

            "You expect me to calm down?" She questioned incredulously. "You of all people should know what it is like to be sitting in that cell for hours on end, knowing you have done nothing wrong, and being interrogated by a jackass like Knapp." She spat as she started pacing in front of his desk.  "I thought I could trust you. I was obviously wrong."

            "Trust isn't always what it seems to be." He replied quickly.

            "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" 

            "I thought I could trust you Sydney." He answered, turning the tables back to her.

            "What?" She questioned.

            "To tell you the truth…" He began.

"That'd be a first." She cut in bitterly.  He didn't respond to her comment, and just gave her a steely glance.

He began again. "To tell you the truth Sydney I've been having my doubts about you. Not so much as where your loyalties lie, but where you are." He paused for a moment.  "Your relationship with Agent Vaughn…"

            "My personal life is none of your business." She hastily cut in again.

            "When did your handler become a part of your personal life?" He said, throwing the question at her. Sydney looked like a fish out of the water and was desperately floundering for a good response. "This is what im talking about Sydney," He said sternly. "I'm afraid that you've become to attached, your judgment is clouded by him. You want to be with him." He stated bluntly. "I know you. You go for what you want. Knowing you can't have him is killing you, you'd find a way to bring down SD-6 or the CIA, which ever comes first."

            Sydney was left speechless as a thick silence ensued. A million thoughts raced through her head. 'How does my father know how I feel about him? Vaughn doesn't even know. Hell, I don't really know.' She became enraged at his bogus accusations but then realizing that maybe they weren't that bogus. Moments later Weiss appeared in the doorway, his voice breaking the silence. 

            "Hey you're both wanted down at briefing." He said, sensing the tension in the air. He glanced back and forth from Sydney to Jack as he began to leave. A couple seconds later after either of them failed to move he popped his head back in, "Now." He added.

****Briefing Room****

            Sydney sat in the briefing room, waiting for Kendall to begin. She noticed that Vaughn wasn't there and her mind raced as it played with the idea that his absence was planned. Had her father said something? Did Vaughn get in trouble for visiting her? Her thoughts turned towards her anger at her father. Sydney was distracted from her thoughts as someone entered the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was Vaughn. He made eye contact with her as he slid into his chair next to her as Kendall began speaking. 

            "As most of you know Agent Sydney Bristow has been under some speculation recently about her current ties. However in order to uphold her cover at SD-6, I have ordered that she be released and freed to comply with SD-6. This means Agent Bristow," he said addressing her. "That you will go to work as usual, and report here instead of going home. You are to remain under heavy surveillance at all times and will be monitored. That said let's move on." Kendall stood and motioned to the screen displayed in front of them. "Now, Agent Jack Bristow has informed us that Sloane is planning on sending you to France for your next mission. Your counter will be more complicated than normal, considering our predicament here. Jack, you can take it from here." Kendall said as Jack stood up. 

            "Sloane is sending Sydney to France to retrieve a previously unknown Rambaldi artifact. We believe that Sloane has arranged a deal with this man," He said motioning towards the monitor. "Giovanni Stretrehof. However, our intel shows that Stretrehof is working under someone else, but of whom we don't know. Sloane is not aware of this fact and is most likely getting scammed. Sloane has made an offer to this man but we don't know what it is." Jack said. "Naturally, thinking he will acquire a new artifact, he is sending Sydney to retrieve it, thinking she is trustworthy." He added. 

            Sydney jerked her head up, noting his underlying message to her. She looked at him but said nothing and he continued on.

            "This is a very dangerous mission, and now it is even more compromising because of recent developments." He said, referring to Sydney. "Sydney will have to go in solo, there is no way around that. Any contact made between her and us will have to be through coms. We can't risk having another agent around the area. The artifact is supposedly hidden in a club called L'Haute Vie, which is used as Stretrehof's cover. The artifact is said to be located in a safe underneath the facility. However Sydney, you are to meet Stretrehof's contact inside the building, and he will take you to it." Sydney listened intently, focusing on the task at hand. "Because of our intel, we know Stretrehof is unreliable, and we don't know what he is planning." Jack said. 

"So I'm pretty much going in blind." Sydney stated. 

"SD-6 security will be present in the city, although Dixon will not be accompanying you. Sloane doesn't want anyone knowing about this unless it's absolutely necessary." Jack said. Vaughn shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable at the proposition.

Kendall spoke up again. "Agent Vaughn, you will accompany Agent Bristow to France, however you will have no contact with her besides com links. Agent Bristow, a tracking device will be inserted in you, so we can track your position at all times. Your flight leaves in two hours."

****Paris, France****

            Sydney stood outside her hotel room, desperately trying to open the door. She stuck the little plastic card in the slot for the fifth time, as the little light blinked red once again. 'So I can diffuse a bomb but I can't open a freakin door?' She thought to herself. She stuck the key card in once again and finally successfully opened the door. Sydney entered the room and set her bag down on the bed in a huff. She sat down on the bed and looked down at her watch. 7:18. She had almost 3 hours until she was supposed to be at the club. She prayed this mission would go quickly. As much as she loved France she didn't want to have to be here any longer than necessary. Her thoughts turned towards Vaughn and she wondered where he was. Somewhere in Paris. That thought was at least a little comforting. She hadn't had the chance to talk to him after she had been released. After debrief, she had report to SD-6 and Vaughn had hurried off, speaking to her father.  Sydney listlessly laid down on the bed, looking at her watch again. 7:20. She reached for the remote on the table by her bed and flicked on the TV, watching as pictures flashed in front of her face, but thinking only of Vaughn. 

**** L'Haute Vie, Paris****

            Sydney strode up towards the front of the line, bypassing impatient partiers, all waiting in line to get into the club. Her tall black boots and mini skirt left little room for movement as she adjusted her too tight tank top that revealed more than a little too much as it criss crossed its way up her chest. She subconsciously brought her hand to her hair, securing her short pink wig. 'Good god,' she thought to herself, 'I look like Kelly Osborne.' She ignored the catcalls and made her way up to the huge bouncer. He looked down at her with greedy eyes, as if she was a piece of meat and smiled at her. If he only knew she could take him down in one clean stroke, she thought, uncomfortable under his stare. Instead she stood on her tiptoes and said something into his ear. He immediately stepped back and let her into the crowed club as the waiting throng of people protested. "I'm in. Going radio silent." She said into her com link as she discretely shifted her earrings.

 Sydney stepped into the club as the smell of smoke and cheap alcohol filled her senses. She quickly scanned the crowd, searching for her contact. The loud music pounded throughout the club, as neon lights lit up the room. She found Stretrehof himself sitting at the bar alone, wearing an expensive suit that seemed very out of place. She walked passed him, slightly touching his shoulder, signally him to follow her. Sydney made her way into a dark hallway, where the restrooms were.

She waited until he was close until she spoke, "J'entends son a supposé pour pleuvoir." She stated plainly, watching for his reaction to their planned code. The tall man's lips curled up into a slight smile, as he reached out and stroked a strand of her pink hair, "Oui, j'ai entendu cela aussi." He nodded, his words confirming her identity as he led her down another dark hallway and a staircase that descended into the basement. Sydney fought the urge just to floor him right then as he smiled back at her approvingly. At the door leading to the basement Sydney found herself surrounded by two burly bodyguards that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Stretrehof looked back at her. "Don't mind them, their just for security purposes." He proclaimed.

 The large basement was dimly lit, and consisted of only a few crates used for storage, and an obvious safe, implanted in the concrete walls. A cool draft swept through the air as their footsteps echoed across the cold concrete floor as Sydney discretely surveyed her surroundings. The muffled bass of the club reverberated throughout the large room as the man spoke, "So I hear Sloane is very interested Rambaldi." He said to her. She said nothing, not interested in making pointless conversation. "The deal we struck," He went on, "was very prosperous." He said as he punched in the code for the safe, "I got a considerable amount of money." He said to no one as she stood there silently. He glanced back at her again after he finished punching in the code. "Although, if I had known he had someone as pretty as you, I might have considered making a different offer." The man spoke as lifted a briefcase out of the safe with a lewd grin on his face. 

"In fact, I might just skip the money and take you." Stretrehof said with a smile as he pulled a gun from his suit pocket. Sydney immediately flung her leg up and kicked it out of his hand, sending the gun flying. She was almost instantaneously confronted by the burly guards but was able to grab the gun concealed in her knee high boots and take them down with two precise shots as Stretrehof scrambled for his gun. Sydney whirled around and trained her gun on Stretrehof. 

"Don't move." She commanded in a powerful voice as she approached him. He looked up at her, his dull brown eyes showing no fear, but more amusement. 

"You know, I like a powerful woman." He stated with yet another grin spreading across his face as he eyed her up and down again. She felt the bile starting to rise in her throat, she wanted nothing more just to shoot him right there, but she figured Sloane wouldn't be too pleased if she killed his contact.

"You sick bastard." She growled as her leg flew up in a roundhouse kick, knocking him out as he fell to the concrete floor with a thud. Sydney stepped back a little, her heart pounding as the adrenaline flowed through her veins. She took a deep breath a returned her gun to her boot and picked up the chrome briefcase Stretrehof had extracted from the safe. She turned and surveyed her damage quickly before anyone would notice the absence of the now fallen trio. 

"Well its looks like you've got the hard part done."  A familiar voice rang out from the silence. Sydney spun around as her eyes scanned the dark basement, looking for the source. The solitaire light hanging from the ceiling providing little light, leaving the corners of the basement engulfed in darkness. She squinted her eyes and was able to make a figure of a woman. The stench of gunpowder still hung in the air as the only sound that entered the room was the pounding bass, echoing from the club as Sydney racked her brain to place that voice. 

"Who are you?" Sydney questioned as she trained her gun on the dark figure. 

The woman gave a short laugh in response as she approached Sydney, but was still shielded by darkness. The short clicks of her heels signaled the woman's nearness, as she spoke again, "If I were you I'd put the gun down Sydney." The woman warned in a playful tone, although her identity still eluded Sydney. "We've met before." She continued in a low tone as Sydney picked up on the slight Russian accent. "I'm surprised you haven't placed me yet." She said, her voice giving way towards her anger. "Too bad you never will."

            A quick realization of the woman's words and intuition led Sydney to jump through the air as she heard a gunshot pound through the room, and a bullet fly whizzing by her shoulder. Sydney hit the ground and fired into the darkness. Sydney recovered quickly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. The woman was surprised at her agility and was caught off guard when she felt a foot come in contact with her hand, causing her gun to go flying through the air. But she adapted quickly as she retaliated, landing a solid punch to Sydney's stomach, sending her gun clattering to the floor. 

 The struggle continued as each woman put forth her best moves, only to be perfectly mirrored and blocked by the other. They worked their way around the vast basement and by this time Sydney had made out the woman to be of the same stature of herself, and to be a very skilled fighter.  

Sydney cried out in desperation as the woman slammed her head against the cement wall. A surge of pain shot through her head as she struggled to keep her eyes open as the woman backed up to make her last assault. But Sydney quickly slid out of the way, causing the woman to become off balance.  The lapse in time gave Sydney an opportunity to regain her strength and she managed to kick her attacker in the stomach with all of her might, sending the woman crashing onto cement floor. Sydney franticly scanned the basement for her gun, and scrambled to retrieve it. She doubled back to her attacker, who was struggling to get up, now illuminated by the dim light. She cocked her gun and trained it on the fallen woman, ready to shoot. "Who the hell are you?" She demanded in a deathly tone. The mysterious woman said nothing, only rolled over to face her, but instead of seeing a stranger, Sydney was greeted by her own face, as if looking in a mirror. 

TBC…..

A/N – I really hope I didn't bore too many of you with this chap, I don't think I'm too good at writing action scenes, but hopefully it was suspenseful. Lemme know what you think by reviewing!


	7. Enlightenment

Yay! Another update! New chapters will be added more frequently now; I'm on a roll. Lol. Thank you to all who are reading this, and a special thanks to Emily who reviewed both of mine, yay! But that's enough from me, on with the story!

She felt her breath catch in her chest as she felt a rush of blood to her head. Her hands trembled as she tried to hold the gun steady. Sydney felt herself freeze as time seemed to pass by in slow motion, she saw the woman struggle to stand up, and instinctively knew that she would attack her. She felt disconnected from her body as she felt herself pull the trigger of the cold gun. She watched in utter bewilderment as the bullet crashed into the identical woman's shoulder, sending her to the floor once again. 

Sydney gasped in horror as she struggled to fight off tears. She felt completely lost as she stood in the basement of the club. Her spy instincts took over as she switched her com link back on as she struggled to breathe. Vaughn's concerned voice repeatedly rang out through her ears, but she couldn't answer his frantic questions, she ran over to the chrome briefcase, climbed the stairs to the club and ran away as fast as she could.  

***Meanwhile***

The noisy clanking of metal bars opening awoke Irina Derevko from her light slumber in her cell. Two pairs of heavy, definite footsteps followed the noise as she sat up on her bed, brushing some stray hairs away from her face with her fingers. She stood up as she saw two guards approach her cell and simultaneously enter a code on each side of the hall on tiny keypads.  She said nothing as she heard a loud beep, followed by the opening of her cell and the guards quickly entering and handcuffing her hands behind her back.  She made no effort to object and let herself be hauled off down the corridor, welcoming any site other than her cell. After being transported up one floor and led down a dimly lit hallway they reached a doorway where Irina confidently stepped into the room while the guards waited in the hall. She was not surprised to see Jack waiting behind a large table, unfortunately accompanied by Devlin. She spoke, her facial expression bordering on self- satisfaction and boredom, "I requested this meeting to be with only Jack."

"Ms. Derevko I'm sure you are aware that you are only being granted this meeting because of the current circumstances pertaining to Agent Sydney Bristow. And given your history with Agent Bristow, surely you didn't think I'd let you two in the same room together alone." Devlin stated in a curt voice. Irina nodded slightly, her eyes slightly narrowed, while taking in her surroundings all without taking her eyes off of Devlin and Jack. Plain white walls, no windows or double sided mirrors, only a large table with a bright single light dangling above it, with a tiny security camera mounted on the corner of the wall by the ceiling. 

"I assume since you requested this meeting you have some information that you wanted to share with us?" Devlin asked impatiently, urging her to explain herself quickly. Irina drew in a deep breath, noticing Jack had yet to speak.

 "First of all, before I say anything, I would like to not be cuffed anymore, I think I've shown enough loyalty to this corporation already to ensure my true motive."

Jack quickly cut in, "Where your true motives and loyalties lie is entirely unknown and always will be, just because you helped out on a mission or hacked into computer system for the CIA does not constitute you gaining anyone's trust." He practically spit out the last words, his anger apparent, the tension between them growing as he shot her deadly stares while she only looked to be studying him intently, with a slight smile in her eyes, like she always knew something that he didn't. Devlin let out an exasperated sigh, he knew he should have never brought these two together, with only him as an extra, but Derevko had specifically stated that if she was to talk, Agent Bristow was to be present. 

            "Let's move on." Devlin stated quickly. "If you have something to say Ms. Derevko, do it now."

            She glanced at Devlin, obviously a little annoyed but decided to cooperate. "Alright," She agreed, "I'll start at the beginning."

Jack shifted in his chair, somehow, he felt if he was the prisoner, and she was freed. She'd always seemed to assume the upper hand in any situation.

"As you already know, while I was working for the KGB I was married to Jack Bristow and I became pregnant with Sydney. I thought this was a huge accomplishment for my employer, and it was. Now at the time, while the CIA was formulating Project Christmas, the KGB was forming a project similar, in fact almost identical to it." She finished and stole a look at Jack, his face showed no emotion, but Irina could tell he was uncomfortable. 

"We are fully aware of that fact, Ms. Derevko so unless you have a valid point in demanding this meeting, what you have to say is going to have to be good."

Irina just glared at them, slightly insulted but more so annoyed at their ignorance. But she continued, "As I was saying, the KGB was forming the project as well. During this time Jack," she paused as she noticed the glare coming from Devlin, "Agent Bristow," she corrected herself, "was very preoccupied with his missions and such and was not very involved with my pregnancy. As you may or may not know Sydney was born prematurely by an emergency caesarian section. Jack was not present and I had given birth at a hospital infiltrated with KGB officers aware of my condition." 

"Your condition?"

"Yes, my condition." She said, drawing the words out slowly, thoughtfully studying Devlin but most of all Jack who was intently listening, still without any emotion displayed on his face. " I was carrying twins." She said bluntly.

            "What?" Jack exclaimed. His face finally showing emotion as he looked at her, genuinely surprised. Irina looked at him and reiterated.

            "Sydney is an identical twin." She said calmly.  Jack was stunned and couldn't think of anything to say. A silence filled the room again. Devlin cut in, noticing Jack's seemingly paralytic state.

            "What happened to her twin?" He asked, he too surprised at this revelation.

            "She was given to the KGB doctors and was put in the Project Christmas program in Russia. And was trained to be a spy." She said. 

            "So why haven't we run across her yet?" Devlin asked. Jack was still too stunned to speak; the knowledge of him having another child was still sinking in. Irina sighed and began to tell her story.

            "When I returned to Russia, when Sydney was six, Nadia – that's what they named her, was the epitome of Project Christmas. She was perfect, already exhibiting exceptional skills. I went to see her, but they wouldn't let me talk to her, in fear of interrupting their "work". Nadia became very independent, she had no family, only a couple of other friends they allowed her, and they soon discovered that she only made relationships for her own benefit." 

She paused and took a breath. Her eyes drifted over towards Jack, who was simply staring at her. She continued, "They thought that this was great, the KGB loved it, no emotional attachment, no outside loyalties. What they didn't realize was that what she lacked in outside loyalties, she also lacked in inside loyalties. She only cooperated with the KGB out of necessity. They gave her food and shelter, and at that point of time that was what she needed. Four years later they started giving her missions. She was ten at the time but very advanced for her age. It was once she had contact with the outside world when she started to realize her own power. She was smart, she made contacts and when she was 15, she left the KGB." 

            "Did you contact her?"

            "No. She hated me."

            "Why did she hate you?'

" I sabotaged one of her missions."  Both Jack and Devlin seemed especially interested in this last bit as looked on for more information. When Irina said nothing more Devlin spoke up. "Would you care to expand on that?" He asked, but was more of a statement than a question. 

"No." 

            Devlin sighed. "As a prisoner of the United States government you are obligated to tell us what we ask, if you withhold any information, we can see it as a breach in our contract and have you indicted."

            She looked at him, with an air of superiority but complied anyways, "She was ordered by the KGB to kill Sydney." Both Jack and Devlin turned silent at this revelation, Jack somewhat lost in all of it. Irina spoke up again. "I stepped in and destroyed her mission, and her flawless reputation of success. From then on she has despised me and Sydney." 

            "What does this have to do with Sydney now?" Devlin asked, Jack still in too much shock to respond. 

"Well, last I heard she was working for one of my old associates."

"Who?"

"Milo Rambaldi." She stated.

"What?" Devlin questioned with a confused look on his face.

"The prophecy." Jack said quietly, piecing the information together in his head.

"Does she know about it?" Devlin asked.

"Most likely." Irina answer. 

"How could you have not told us about her?" Devlin said, more than a little upset. 

"You never asked." She said simply. "Besides last I heard she was in a Turkish prison."  

Jack gave her a cold glare and Devlin cleared his throat. Irina glanced at them and decided to continue on with the story. 

"Anyway, she decided to join in on the search, yearning for ultimate power."

"Like Sloane." Jack inserted.

"Does Sloane know about her?" Devlin asked eagerly.

"I don't know." She paused. "It could be disastrous if he finds out." Irina stated.

"If he finds out? They could be working together for all we know." Jack 

interrupted, obviously angry with her for concealing this.

"We don't know anything." Devlin said with authority, attempting prevent an argument between the two.

"We have to contact Sydney quickly." Irina stated, a plan already formulating in her head.

At that moment Jack's cell phone rang, Devlin gave him a disapproving glance as he turned to answer it.

"Jack Bristow." Jack stated.

A small, shaky voice came on the other end, "Dad?" 

Jack's face revealed a look of surprise. "Sydney?" He questioned. All ears perked up at her name.

TBC…

A/N – I know the idea of Sydney having a sister has been overdone a little lately, but the concept was pretty original when I started writing this. Lol. But please stay with me, I promise it'll be unique. And please review! 


	8. Developements to Action

I'm really excited about this story! This chapter was fun to write so I hope y'all have fun reading it. Thanks to all for reading my little story, and please remember to review, I've gotten very little response lately and I'm wondering if anyone is actually reading this.

But enough from me, I present to you chapter eight. 

            She had run as fast as she could out of the club, Vaughn's desperate pleas for her response echoed in her ears as she tried to control her sobbing.  Her thoughts jumbled in a heap as she ran through the dark streets of Paris. Sydney stopped to catch her breath and realized she had somehow managed to find her way back to her hotel. She attempted to gather herself together before she entered, and finally responded to the persistent voice coming through her com link. "I'm okay." She gasped. 

            "Sydney, what happened?" Vaughn questioned, with another myriad of questions following. 

            Sydney shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, she couldn't process anything. "I, I have to go." She managed to squeak out as she pulled her com link out. She didn't remember thinking or talking as she later found herself in her hotel room, staring at a mirror at the reflection of herself. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she reached up and touched her cheek, studying herself in the mirror. She turned retrieved her cell phone. She dialed the only person she knew could possibly answer the millions of questions flooding her mind.

~~***~~

            Vaughn was sitting in his hotel room across town. Connected by the com links, the mission had seemed to be going well. That was until he noticed the amount of time that had passed. He stood up and restlessly paced the room. It shouldn't have taken Sydney that long to extract the briefcase. He rubbed his hand over his face, attempting to calm himself, but he was too worried. Vaughn took a seat on the edge of the bed and decided to radio base ops to confirm Sydney's position in the club with the tracer they had previously implanted in her shoulder. 

            "Base Ops this is Boy Scout, can I get a 20 on Mountaineer's position?" He asked. 

            "Boy Scout, we copy, Mountaineer is still in position." The voice rang back to him. There was nothing he could do now but wait. It seemed like an eternity before he heard Sydney switch her com link back on. He heard her frantic gasps over the com links, still masked by the loud pounding of the music from the club. 

             "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked, picking up on the sobs coming from her end. "Sydney what happened?" 

            After getting no response except the sounds of her ragged breathing and her footsteps against the pavement, Vaughn was becoming increasingly anxious. After inquiring repeatedly and getting no answers, Vaughn was about to go insane, stuck in his hotel room, completely useless. There was no way he could go to her because of SD-6 security. He was helpless as he strained to hear the activity happening on the other side of the com link. Finally Vaughn heard a shaky voice, "I'm okay." 

            He breathed a huge sigh of relief but immediately knew something was wrong. Vaughn jumped in, hurtling questions at her, desperate to confirm she was unharmed. There was no response, then finally a small voice came back to him as it stammered, "I, I have to go." Vaughn pressed for more but was interrupted by silence. She had turned her com link off. 

            Frustrated, Vaughn stood up determinedly as he radioed base ops again. There was no way he was going to sit around and do nothing when Sydney was going through who knows what. "Base Ops I need confirmation on Mountaineer's position again." He spoke hurriedly. 

            "Roger that, hold on a moment." He heard the voice say, as Vaughn gathered up his coat and put his gun in his shoulder holster as he heard the voice speak up again, "Boy Scout, Mountaineer is at resting position." He said, indicating she had returned to the hotel.

            "Alright." He simply stated, too preoccupied to respond any further, and not about to let Kendal know what he was about to do. 

***Meanwhile***

"Jack Bristow." Jack answered quickly. 

"Dad?" A small voice questioned into the phone.

"Sydney?" All ears perked up at her name. Jack listened for a moment but all he could hear was the sound of his daughter's labored breathing. Jack's mind raced as he started to worry. "Sydney where are you? Are you alright?" He questioned frantically. 

There was a pause at the other end of the phone. "I shot her Dad." She confessed. "I shot her in the shoulder."

"Who?" Jack inquired while Devlin and Irina strained to hear the conversation. There was another long pause, followed by a few gasps of air. 

"Me." She answered in a fearful voice. Jack glanced over at Irina, wondering about her almost miraculous timing. Jack's mind was going a thousand miles a minute when he heard her voice come over on the line, as he deduced that she must have met her twin. "What's going on Dad?" She questioned, her voice carrying a little more confidence.

Jack took a deep breath and tried to fathom how he would explain her twin to her, when he had just heard it himself, and was just as shocked as Sydney would be. "Sydney, I need you to tell me you're okay. Are you okay? Where are you?" He inquired, his brow furrowing with concern. 

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm in my hotel room, now tell me what the hell is going on." She stated in a determined voice. 

"Okay, Sydney, I need you to listen to me, I'm going to hand this over to your mother now…"

"You're with mom?" She asked, even more surprised than she thought one could possibly be in one day.

"Yes. Now, your mother will explain everything to you. I'm sorry you couldn't have found out sooner, but frankly I just found out about this myself." He said. "Now, here is your mother." He stated, handing his phone over to the woman who once was his wife. 

***Later***

He found her in her hotel room, exhausted and defeated, as she lay haphazardly strewn across the bed. She was still wearing her outfit, the laced up tank top, with a mini skirt. She was too drained to change. She bolted up from the bed when she heard his voice. She was too preoccupied to have noticed him enter. 

            "Sydney." He breathed, as a wave of relief washed over him, now that he saw her there, relatively unscathed. He rushed over to her side, immediately noticing she was devastated, her eyes swollen from crying, her body fatigued from the awful fight, her mind filled with almost more than she could handle. "Are you okay Syd?" He questioned as he took her face in his hands as she sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

            Sydney, yet to speak, looked at him with puzzled eyes as she felt her bottom lip starting to tremble again. She hated it when she cried, and lately it seemed that was all she could do. Suddenly a damn broke lose as she collapsed into his arms, gushing random words as she sobbed: gun, fight, twin sister, shot, ran. Vaughn held her close as he tried to decipher her disconnected words, but decided not to question them quite yet and to let her cry.

            A while later after she had calmed down she started to speak, giving the condensed version of the past two hours and the start of her life.

            "There was some trouble at the club." She began slowly as she sat down at the edge of the bed and Vaughn followed suit while he listened with eager ears. "It was going fine, but I had to take out Stretrehof and his guards in the basement. That went fine until she showed herself." Sydney said quietly, shuddering as she recalled the event.

            "Who?" He asked intently. 

            "Me." She stated, her eyes seeming to glaze over as she got lost in her thoughts.

            "What?" Vaughn questioned with a confused look playing across his worried features. 

            "My twin." She stated in shaky voice. Vaughn listened with and incredulous look on his face, while she unraveled the seemingly fairytale like account of how she fought the mirror image of herself, and shot her in the shoulder. 

            Vaughn studied her face, looking deep into her eyes. "Syd, are you sure?"

            She appeared to be taken aback at his question. "Of course I'm sure."

            He looked at her stricken face and wondered for a moment if she could have been hallucinating. 

"Syd, you don't have a twin." He said, trying to bring her back to reality. 

She gave a short laugh as she shook her head. "Apparently I do." The look on Vaughn's face morphed from suspicion to shock as he listened to her words. "I just got off the phone with my mother." She said quietly while he gave her an even more surprised look.

She took a breath and decided just to dive right into the seemingly absurd and bizarre tale. "Vaughn, when my mother gave birth to me, I was," She paused, hearing herself say the words made it seem even more preposterous. "I had a twin."

            "I was born at a hospital infiltrated with KGB agents. My mother hadn't told my dad she was carrying twins, and he never found out. Until today.  He was in the field while I," She paused again and corrected herself, "We were born. The KGB agents confiscated the other baby, and used her for their experiment, the replica of Project Christmas." She stared at the flowered quilt that lay on the bed and started to fiddle with the edge of it, avoiding Vaughn's eyes.

Her voice got shaky as she revealed the next part. "They used her to create the perfect spy, she was brilliant, and smart and used as a tool. She began performing missions for the KGB at the age of ten and she escaped from the project when she was fifteen. She had no relationships, the KGB wouldn't let my mother be with her, and she never had had any interaction with other people containing emotion. Then she began working for herself, being a spy -it was the only thing she knew how to do."

"However, before she left the KGB she was assigned to a mission. The mission was to kill me." She stated, her tone indifferent. "Unfortunately for her my mother stepped in and sabotaged her mission. Not only did it stain her flawless reputation, it drew out an extreme hatred towards my mother." She stated, "And me."

            Vaughn's mind was racing as he tried to comprehend Sydney's words. "Ever since she escaped, the KGB lost track of her, the Alliance and the CIA were still in the dark about her existence. Until recently. Her name is Nadia Salvko. My mother loosely kept tabs on her, but lost contact with her associates and heard she was sent to a Turkish prison."

            Vaughn kept his eyes locked upon Sydney. He watched this amazing woman recount a tale that could be fit for a storybook, which was her life. He stared at her beauty as his brain began piecing together all of the information, which was so unbelievable that it could only belong to Sydney Bristow. "And that's why all the bogus data has come up recently." He concluded. "The video footage, the break into Langley, she's out for revenge. Your mother marred her reputation; she was going to destroy yours. And then…" He stated, his voice drifting off.

            "Kill me." She finished for him. "Exactly." Sydney agreed as she played with the edge of the quilt they were sitting. Tears began to form behind her eyes but she held them back as she swallowed and took a deep breath.

            Vaughn looked over at her, he could tell she was about to break but wouldn't let herself. He turned to her and took her in her arms again, defeated in the fact that the only time he ever got to hold her was when she was distraught. He held her close as he whispered in to her ear, "It's going to be okay Syd, it's going to be okay." As her breaths evened out and a serene silence hung about the room. 

            Suddenly a shrill beeping abruptly broke the quiet atmosphere as Vaughn cell phone rang. He shifted as he fished his phone out of the pocket in the coat he was wearing. 

            "Agent Vaughn." He barely got the words out as he heard the other voice come over the line.

"Agent Vaughn, where the hell are you?" Kendal's voice demanded. Sydney looked at Vaughn with questioning eyes before quickly figuring out who it was. Vaughn stood up and paced the room while he spoke. 

"I'm at Sydney's hotel sir." He answered in an even voice. 

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be there?" Kendal started to lecture. 

"Yes I do Mr. Kendal, but presently I think the new situation concerning Nadia Salvko is a far more dangerous threat to Sydney than SD-6 security detail."

"Agent Vaughn, you do not have the clearance or the authority to be in contact with Agent Bristow during a mission. You are aware that your presence could compromise agent Bristow's double agent status, not to mention jeopardize the CIA's position."

"Yes and I'm also fully aware of the danger that Nadia Salvko brings to…" He began to argue forcefully.

"Agent Vaughn, I'm not even going to begin to state the innumerable breaches in protocol that you presence ensures, not to mention the fragility of Agent Bristow's current unstable state…" Kendal spat out angrily.

"Sir I will not let you interfere with the well being of my agent." Vaughn interrupted as Sydney watched him pace about the room, as he brought his hands over his face and to the back of his neck in frustration. 

Kendal sighed, frustrated at Vaughn's persistence. "Alright Agent Vaughn, you win. However I'm ordering you to stay put until extraction, we cannot take the chances of having you be spotted by SD-6 security."

"I agree, Thank you sir." Vaughn said, visibly relieved. 

"Oh and Agent Vaughn, you better pray that nothing happens." Kendal warned before disconnecting.  

He switched off his cell phone and found Sydney studying him with questioning eyes. He looked at her, and a surge of both pain and love shot through his heart for her. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it was overshadowed by the deep creases of  worry on his forehead.

            "Looks like I'm here for the night." He said as he sat down on the bed beside her. 

Sydney gave a small half smile as she leaned over and rested on his shoulder. "Good."

Vaughn instinctively put his arm around her as they sat in silence, both minds racing furiously, trying to comprehend the events of the last couple of hours and what it would all portend. 

***Meanwhile, At JTF***

Jack, Irina, Kendal and Delvin all sat in the briefing room, trying to make sense of the latest developments. 

"Why now?" Kendal asked, pointedly staring at Irina. 

"As far as I know, Nadia Salvko has usually dealt with black op trade markets. Illegal weaponry, sales to independent buyers. During this time, she was bound to come in contact with the Alliance." She said thoughtfully.

"Do you think Sloane knows about her?" Devlin questioned.

Jack spoke up, "I don't believe so. If Sloane had known the existence of Salvko he would have acted on it."

"I agree. I'm sure he is aware of her presence," Irina carefully stated. "But not of who she is."

Jack nodded as Irina seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. Irina looked up, "She's after Rambaldi." She stated simply. 

"If she's after Rambaldi why wouldn't she be working with Sloane?" Devlin questioned.

Irina confidently spoke up again, "Nadia is too independent to work with anyone, let alone for someone. She's motivated by greed, by the thrill of accomplishing a mission, finding something no one else has."

            "Of course." Jack added quietly piecing all the information together. "It all makes sense now. Rambaldi's prophecy, all this time we thought it was Sydney."

            "So what do we do?" Devlin questioned, looking at the group. 

            Kendal spoke up. "Contact Salvko. Set up a meeting between Sydney and Salvko. Have Sydney take her down and her bring her in."

            "I can arrange a meeting." Irina added. 

            "And just how do you plan on doing that?" Jack asked bluntly, obviously opposed to the idea.

            "I have my contacts." She replied, unaffected.

            "So you plan on using Sydney as bait." He confirmed as Devlin and Kendal watched the two interact.

            "In a matter of speaking, yes."

            "It's too dangerous, I will not let it happen." Jack stated. 

            "Sydney would have the advantage," She argued. "Sydney shot Nadia in the shoulder."

            "Like mother like daughter." Jack spat at her. 

            "We need to act on this and we need to act now." Irina stated softly. 

"There is no way I'm going to let you use my daughter as bait to bring in someone who is trying to kill her." Jack said defiantly, his anger rising. 

"In case you have forgotten Jack, that someone who is trying to kill her is also your daughter." Irina spat back, her eyes locking with his.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jack questioned.

"We need Nadia here Jack. As long as she is free she will always pose a serious threat to Sydney and to who know else." Irina said firmly. "It's for Sydney's own safety."

"If you were so concerned for Sydney's safety you would have prevented this entire situation thirty years ago." Jack said vehemently.

Irina was silent. 

"It's too dangerous, we have no way of knowing what Salvko will do, she could bring a full back-up team for all we know." Jack asserted.

"Jack we have to do something." Kendal cut in. "We can't just leave Agent Bristow in Paris, SD-6 security detail will get suspicious, not to mention the obvious. If Salvko is really out for revenge and to kill Sydney, she's not going to pay any attention to the repercussions her presence may cause. She could strike at any moment, completely compromising Sydney's cover at SD-6. That alone could get Sydney killed, not to mention the fact that she's being hunted by a former KGB assassin." 

A silence followed as Jack looked up from the table. His eyes scanned the room, from Devlin to Kendal until they rested on Irina. She sat up straight, jaw set, her long brown hair fell down her shoulders while she stubbornly returned his gaze. 

He sighed, "Alright. Let's move."

~~***~~

They sat in silence for a long time. Finally Vaughn turned and looked at her. "You should really get some sleep." He said, his eyes sweeping over her delicate features. 

"I'm not tired." She said stubbornly, obviously exhausted.

"Syd, you're exhausted, get some sleep."

She sighed and looked at the clock. "I'm just going to go change out of these clothes." She said. Vaughn glanced at her apparel, she was still dressed in her wild outfit she'd worn to the club. 

He nodded as she stood up and crossed over to the restroom. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. He listened to the sounds of her changing, of the running water as he took his coat off and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he cradled his chin on his palms, his fingers covering his eyes, as he tried to fathom the enormity of the situation, and most of all Sydney. 

Sydney had finished washing her face, and was now staring in the mirror. How was it possible that she could have a twin and not know it? God, her life was like one messed up version of the Parent Trap. She studied her reflection as she reached up and pulled her hair back, the reflection perfectly copying as predicted. She thought back to the fight, both of them mirroring each other perfectly, blocking every move. Almost every move. She shut her eyes for a moment as saw herself shoot Nadia, her perfect image. Sydney could still feel the cold gun in her hands as she trembled, right before she had shot her. She quickly opened her eyes again, and found herself looking back in the mirror. Suddenly she couldn't look at herself any longer. She quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her. 

She emerged in a tank top and a pair of gray sweatpants. He glanced up from his perch on the bed as his eyes reached hers. Her chocolate brown eyes were filled with fear, confusion, and loneliness.

Vaughn's mind raced as his heart pounded in his chest. He suddenly felt free from the constraints that had previously held him back. He crossed the room towards her, she welcomed his embrace as she buried her head into his chest. No words were spoken, just a silent understanding. Vaughn held her tight, wishing that he could magically make all of her problems disappear. Before his mind knew what he was doing, he drew her back and looked into her eyes as she neared him, each feeling each other's warm breath on their skin. Vaughn drew her in again, this time bringing her to his lips. 

All thoughts flew out the window as he felt her lips against his. The kiss, starting out gentle, but growing more passionate as each second flew by. She moved closer to him, running her fingers through his hair as his hands traveled down her back. Finally they pulled away from each other, both in need of air.

His eyes rested on her, he found her staring at her feet, a slight smile upon her lips. He gave a short laugh and took her hands in his. She looked up into his eyes as she spoke. "And I thought nothing would distract me from my thoughts tonight." She joked. He looked down at her with sympathy as he fathomed the enormity of the situation and her strength.  He took a breath, "You should really get to bed."

She nodded as her gaze traveled from his eyes to her feet.  "Vaughn?" She questioned softly, "Stay with me tonight."

He said nothing, just looked into her bright brown eyes that were pleading his presence. He nodded as he caressed her face gently. 

            She took his hand and led them to the bed. No words were spoken as they silently slid under the covers. He pulled her body close to his as she buried herself in his chest; his arms encircled her in his strong embrace. He felt her body relax against his as he shut his eyes and cherished the feeling of her close to him, memorizing her scent, her touch, her breathing, the beating of her heart against his. 

"Goodnight Vaughn." She whispered as her breathing evened. He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face, marveling at her beauty. The way her long eyelashes brushed her cheeks when she shut her eyes, the way her lips slightly parted as her breathing became rhythmic. 

"Goodnight Syd." He replied. But she was already fast asleep.  

A/N -This chapter got a little long, hopefully not too drawn out for y'all. Sorry no real cliffhanger here, but I promise there'll be a good one next chapter. Hehe. As always, please review! And thank you so much for reading!


	9. Darkness

Alright, here comes chapter nine-in my opinion the most suspenseful one of the story! I apologize if this chapter become too lengthy, however it will reveal a lot of happenings. I think this story is almost finished, probably one more chapter after this and maybe then an epilogue. But enough of my ramblings, I present to you chapter nine. 

The sharp tone of the phone awakened her from a peaceful slumber. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt the stirring of the warm body so close to her. She rolled over in a sleepy stupor as the horrors of reality came crashing down around her. She sat up slightly and watched Vaughn extend an arm from underneath the covers, grab the shrieking cell phone from the nightstand and bring it to his ear. 

"Vaughn." He answered groggily. Sydney rolled over and glanced up at the clock, 6:47. She reluctantly pulled the sheets away as she drug herself out of bed, listening to Vaughn's end of the conversation. 

 "Yes sir." He said as he sat up. "A meeting? Are you sure that's safe?" A pause followed. "You let Irina Derevko contact former associates?" He questioned in a shocked voice. "How did…?" He stopped abruptly, as Sydney strained to hear the other end of the conversation.  

"Yes, yes I understand." He said as he stood up and started pacing the room. Sydney watched him from her corner by the window, allowing her thoughts get distracted by the way the early morning sunlight hit his face and seemed to bring out the vivid colors of his hair.

"Sir, I'm not comfortable sending my agent in blind. As you remember we did that last time…" He began heatedly. A long pause followed. "Alright."

"And there will be a full back up team." He confirmed. "Okay, I'll contact you then." 

Vaughn looked up at Sydney as he hung up his phone. She gazed at him with questioning eyes, eager to find out the details of the conversation. Vaughn hesitated before he spoke to her. He motioned for her to sit before he began. She gave him a quizzical look as she sat down on a chair near the window, searching his eyes for information.

"That was Kendal," He began, stating the obvious. "They got in touch with some of Salvko's associates and set up at meeting between you and her. They want you to bring her into custody."

Her brow creased slightly as she learned the plan. He took a breath and continued, "You're supposed to meet her tonight at the La Vallée de Rivière Port on the Seine River, You'd have a full back up team, and I'd be monitoring everything."

She gazed out the window, deep in thought. He sat down beside her. "Syd, you don't have to do this." He spoke with concern, as he took her hand in his. "I think it's too dangerous, considering the amount of what you've gone through, not to mention the possibility of Salvko bringing in team or an ambush."

"Vaughn." She interrupted, speaking for the first time that morning. "I have to do this." She said determinedly. Vaughn was silent for a moment, staring at her hand in his. 

"Alright," He began as he stood up again, "We need to go get some gear down at the CIA warehouse, along with the rest of op tech. I'll be on coms as usual, there will be a team assembled by the time the meeting takes place. You'll go in alone, but the team will be on stand-by outside and be ready to move if there's any sign of trouble." 

She nodded, taking in all the information. "The building is being secured right now, the CIA is checking for hidden explosives, bombs, C-4 etc. You won't move in until we can confirm her presence, on the idea that if she tried to kill you she most likely would not want to kill herself in the process. Jack contacted SD-6 and talked to Sloane, we'll send the briefcase back to L.A, your father covered for you by saying you had ran into an old friend from college and are staying with her for a couple of days.  Now, the CIA wants to capture Salvko, bring her in to custody for questioning as well as prosecution. Now that they are aware of her existence they may be able to link her to previously unsolved crimes." 

"Nothing like a family reunion." She quipped. 

He looked down at Sydney. "You okay?" He questioned. She shook her head a little as if digesting all the information and returned his gaze, "I'm fine." He looked at her worriedly, his concerns for her growing, along with the tenderness he felt in his heart for her.  She noticed his worry and gave a small smile, "You done yet?"

He breathed, his mind going over all the details of the operation. "Uh, yeah." He said, returning her smile as he sat down next to her. 

"I'm just going to go take a shower then." She stated, not moving from her seat so near to him. "So what time do we go to the warehouse?"

"A couple of hours." He replied but was interrupted by a loud growl. 

He looked down at her stomach, as she quickly covered it with her hands and blushed. He gave a lopsided smile at her. "Hungry?" He quietly joked. She smiled back at him. "You want me to order up some breakfast?" Vaughn questioned.

"Sure, that'd be great." She said as she got up and moved towards the bathroom. "I'll be out in a couple minutes."

~~***~~

            Three hours later they were headed out to the CIA warehouse. They spent most of the ride in silence, Vaughn staring at the black road ahead, Sydney intently studying the patterns of tiny squiggles that seemed to run wild over the interior of the car, both lost in thought. Finally they pulled up to the warehouse, tires crunching at the gravel underneath the long drive. Vaughn stopped the car, and turned towards Sydney. 

            "You should probably go in yourself. It's still too risky for me to be seen with you." He said softly, his forehead graced with worry lines.

            She nodded in accordance with him as she adjusted her gun in her holster. As she moved to step out of the car, he called after her, "Be careful." 

She turned and gave him a short half-smile.  "I'll be fine." She replied easily.

            A cool draft wafted through the air as Sydney stepped into the warehouse. Everything was silent, but that wasn't unusual. Not many people worked here, only about one or two on average, and the warehouse was covered by state of the security-heat sensitive cameras, satellite imaging, the works. 

            She made her way through the familiar rows of storage, heading to a small desk at the rear of the warehouse, usually filled by some techie listening to headphones while updating inventory.  Tall stacks of shelving filled the large space, filled with every technology imaginable.  Her heels clicked on the concrete floor, sending an echo throughout the entire building. 

            Finally reaching a large empty area that held only the small desk in the center. Sydney froze in her tracks at the sight portrayed before her-blood splattered across the computer- blood from the techie who now lay slumped at the desk, killed with a single gunshot in the back. A chill ran through her entire body as she immediately sensed a presence. Sydney swiveled around, keen eyes scanning for danger. She instinctively reached for her gun, but only got as far as the holster. 

            "I wouldn't do that if I were you." A clear voice rang out from above. Sydney turned and spotted the source of the voice on the catwalk that hung from the tall ceiling.   

            "Nadia." She spoke simply, frozen, as a million thoughts raced through her mind. 

            The woman gave a short laugh in response. "That's correct." She said, a small smile playing upon her lips. She took a few steps, her gun trained on Sydney all the while. "You didn't actually think I'd meet you at the port." She said sardonically. "Come on Sydney, I thought you were smarter than that."

 She paced about the platform that circled the perimeter of the building. "I thought the CIA was smarter than that." She added. 

            Sydney stood rigid, still unnerved at the sight of her twin, and utterly bewildered as to how to deal with the situation. She said nothing.

            Nadia continued, "But I can see where your concentration might get a little cloudy, mine might too if I had such fine specimen such as Michael Vaughn at my disposal." 

            Sydney cringed as she heard the woman speak his name. She spoke up angrily, precisely matching the even tone of Nadia's voice, "What do you want?" 

            Nadia smirked at Sydney's reaction to Vaughn's name; it was exactly what she wanted. And she always got what she wanted. She paced along the catwalk again, clearly enjoying her power. "I want what everyone wants Sydney," She began. "I want to live, I want to live without pain." 

            Sydney said nothing and continued to gaze up at her. "I want to hurt those who hurt me. I want revenge." She concluded. 

"Doesn't everyone?" She questioned as she met Sydney's curious eyes. "Isn't that how you got in this position in the first place? You're working to take down Sloane." She stated as she walked to the stairs leading down from the catwalk. 

"Not for the good of your country," She noted, "But for revenge." 

A silence filled the air. "You want revenge for Danny."

Sydney felt her breath catch in her chest as her mind reeled at the thought of how this woman- a complete stranger to her, knew so much about her, when she herself had only recently learned of her existence. 

Nadia didn't stop there, "You want revenge, you think killing Sloane will somehow reciprocate for your lost years, the years he stole from you. The love he stole from you, most of all Michael Vaughn."

Her words struck a nerve as she finally was able to formulate words. "Listen here, you sick bitch, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you will not insult me and live to tell about it."

Nadia simply stared at her, making her way down the metal stairs, gun still trained on her. 

            She walked up to her, gun pointed at her forehead. Sydney swallowed as she studied the image of herself. "You know, life's a funny thing." She spoke in an eerily calm tone, removing Sydney's gun from her holster and tossing across the concrete floor. "You see, nature has been defied here, usually when two of the same being coexist, one of them dies. The weaker one dies, leaving the stronger one to prevail. It's called natural selection." She lectured. "Well I guess nature will finally take its course." 

            Nadia cocked her gun, held inches away from Sydney's head.  She paused, as if in reflection. "But I guess this is what life's all about, survival of the fittest."  

            Sydney watched Nadia's finger tightening on the trigger, and she suddenly ducked and reached for the gun, forcing Nadia's arm to rise, the gun firing a bullet high into the air. 

            Nadia stumbled back in surprise but Sydney was all over her before she could recover. The two went crashing into the hard ground, struggling over the gun. Sydney managed to land a punch on Nadia's face, causing her to recoil, allowing Sydney to grasp the gun. 

Filled with adrenaline, she rolled on top of Nadia as she pulled the gun on her, "I should have killed you when I had the chance." She spoke vehemently, ready to pull the trigger but rapidly felt a pain rip across her cheek. Nadia had somehow managed to pull a knife on her, slicing open her cheek.

Sydney gasped in pain as she instinctively reached up to cover the gaping gash. This allowed Nadia wriggle free as she forcefully landed a heavy punch on Sydney's wrist, causing her bone to crack and sending the gun airborne.

Nadia soon gained control as she rolled on top of her, forcing her knee into Sydney's chest, as she grasped the knife tightly and brought the knife to her throat. Sydney instinctively reached for Nadia's arm, desperately fighting to keep the knife away. It was her strength against her twin's, as they struggled on the floor.

Suddenly a voice filled the room, "Sydney!"

Both women turned at the sound, it was Vaughn, he had rushed in as soon as he heard the gun go off.

 Sydney took advantage of the slight distraction and managed to jab Nadia in the shoulder, where she had shot her the night before, causing the knife to drop to the floor with a clatter. Nadia cried out in pain and drew back, allowing Sydney to once again gain control. She forced herself on top of her again, blood streaming from her face as she landed three good punches on Nadia's face. 

Vaughn had his gun trained on the battling duo, but was utterly lost. Not being able to tell who was who, he couldn't to shoot Nadia, in fear of shooting Sydney. 

But Nadia was not one to give up. She was trained not to lose, she reached down beside her, stretching to reach the discarded knife. Sydney neglected to notice her movement as she went to land another punch on Nadia but was instead greeted by the feeling of cold steel in her ribs. She cried out in pain, as Nadia stumbled to her feet, scrambling to retrieve the gun. 

Vaughn rushed over to the bloodied sisters but was soon apprehended by two burly guards that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, no doubtedly part of Nadia's entourage. Vaughn quickly reacted, and was able to take one down with a forceful kick, but was brought to a sudden halt when he felt the barrel of a gun roughly shoved into his back by the other guard.  

            Sydney immediately saw Nadia's intentions as she tried to stand, in order to retrieve the other gun. She struggled to her feet, nearly doubling over in pain but felt another rush of adrenaline course through her as she watched Nadia pick up her gun. Sydney ran to collect the other gun as Nadia fired off bullets. Sydney dodged the shots and rolled to the floor, reaching the gun and quickly darting to take cover behind the metal staircase that led up to the catwalk. A rain of bullets ricocheted off the metal. Sydney took a second to catch her breath, her chest heaving from exertion. 

Unexpectedly, an eerie silence overcame the warehouse once again, leaving a distinct feeling of fear in Sydney's mind. Her eyes scanned the entire area, frantically searching for her enemy, but she had disappeared. Knowing Nadia wouldn't leave until achieving revenge, Sydney's senses were alert, her body ignoring the pain as searched for the woman, deciding to go on the catwalk to attain a better view.

 Sydney's entire body ached as she forced herself to climb the metal stairs, gun drawn, pain searing through her. She carefully proceeded around the perimeter of the room, spying no movement below. She turned a corner and suddenly found herself face to face with Nadia, who stood still, calmly awaiting her arrival. It only took Sydney a few seconds to notice Nadia's gun pointed directly at Vaughn, who was forcefully being tied to a metal chair below them. 

At that moment, time seemed to move in slow motion. Sydney watched as the corners of Nadia's mouth started to turn up into a smile, how her finger began to apply pressure to the trigger of the gun that was about to kill the man she loved. She knew she'd rather die herself than watch Vaughn die. All in a second, she took a chance and lunged for the woman. 

Nadia quickly sensed the movement and rapidly turned, quickly pulling the trigger of the cold gun.

A loud noise echoed through the room as Sydney felt a burning pain course throughout her shoulder. Her body too overcome by pain to fight any longer, she collapsed onto the hard metal grate, her head slamming down on it with a thump. She faintly heard Vaughn scream out her name as Nadia's body came into view.. Nadia stood over her defeated body as she spoke to Sydney in a cold voice, "I'm just returning the favor."

Nadia turned and walked a few steps towards the stairs before swiveling back to face Sydney. Vaughn watched in horror as Nadia shot the defeated woman, lying helplessly on the catwalk. 

Vaughn clamped his eyes shut, hoping in vain that what he just witnessed was a dream, and not reality. He opened his eyes again, and saw Sydney standing in front of him.

Reality came crashing back down on him as it took him a moment to realize that the woman standing in front of him was only her twin. He watched as she twirled her gun around on her fingers, while eying him curiously before she spoke.

"Well Mr. Vaughn, it looks like you fell in love with the wrong sister." She turned to the guards, "Leave us alone," She commanded,  "He'll be done in five minutes." She said, turning her attention back to Vaughn. She waited until the even footfalls of her guard faded into the distance before she resumed. 

"It's a pity really," She went on, "You and me that is, we would have made such a cute couple."

She smiled at him as he stared back at her with hatred in his eyes, refusing to speak to the woman. "It's a shame she's dead already. It would have been fun to see the look on her face when I kill you." She paused, focusing on his face with almost an indifference.  "But I imagine it would have been quite similar to the one on your face right now."

She stepped close to him, bringing her hand to his face, as she caressed the strong outline of his jaw. Vaughn immediately stiffed at her touch as he unsuccessfully tried to back away, struggling with the course ropes that bound his hands behind the back of the metal chair.  Nadia's hands wandered from his face, down his neck, resting on his strong chest. 

She circled the chair, her hands pressed against his shoulders. She stopped in front of him once again, bringing her face close to his, so close he could feel her hot breath on his lips, "You know, I like the strong silent type." She breathily whispered. 

"Too bad you're not strong enough." She said, disdain suddenly laced in her voice as she stepped back and drew her gun, aiming directly at his forehead.  

Vaughn held his breath, 'I love you Syd. I love you Syd.' The repeated the mantra played in his head a thousand times in the few split seconds it took for her to pull the trigger.

The thunder of a gunshot was the last sound to reach his ears.

TBC…

Oooh I know! Mean cliffhanger, whahaha (evil laugh!) Tell me if y'all like it!

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	10. Into the Light

***Last chapter! I hope y'all like it! Thanks for everyone for reading my little story, and another special thanks to everyone who reviewed!

The thunder of a gunshot was the last sound to reach his ears before he opened his eyes, only to find the body of Nadia Salvko lying in front of him in a lifeless heap. He immediately looked up, spotting his rescuer.

She was bloodied, holding herself up on the railing, hanging on with all of her strength. After seeing the woman fall, she dropped the gun, now seeming so heavy in her hand. She took a deep breath as she collapsed to the floor, content that Vaughn was safe. She felt a peace come over her as she closed her heavy eyelids. 

            "Sydney!" Vaughn cried out. He struggled to free himself from the chair, the course rope tearing at his skin but he ignored it, his only thoughts being on her. He forced his weight to tip the chair over, as he was able to reach the knife that lay next to Nadia's body. Vaughn quickly cut through the ropes and darted up the metal stairs, desperately calling her name. 

            He gasped when he caught a full glimpse of her. He ran to her side and cradled her head in his lap. "Syd, come on stay with me. Syd can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes baby." He rambled, as he surveyed her wounds, she was shot twice, once in the shoulder, and another right below her collar bone. A deep gash streaked across her once perfect face, leading from her lip to her temple. Blood had saturated her shirt just right of her abdomen from a stab wound. "You can't leave me now," He spoke, "Hang on Syd." 

Vaughn felt his eyes well up with tears at the sound of the faintest whisper, "Vaughn."

 Sydney stirred ever so slightly in his arms, as she struggled to open her eyes for the shortest second before letting her body go limp. A surge of hope ran throughout Vaughn as he laughed in relief, tears of anguish in his eyes.

He carefully picked up the almost lifeless woman, grasping her tightly headed down the stairs, talking to her all the while as he whisked her off to safety, pleading to every god to spare her life.

***3 Weeks Later***

            Vaughn stood alone in the warehouse, it was raining. Rising mist from the pouring rain filled the doorway, billowing up in clouds, creating a mystical effect. Vaughn took a deep breath- he hated being in the warehouse without her.  He hated being anywhere without her. 

            He shut his eyes tightly, hiding his vivid green orbs from the world. He swallowed back the lump in his throat as he thought back over the last couple of weeks. His heart jumped when he saw the figure in the doorway. Her figure was silhouetted, the mist giving the scene a fantastical aura. 

            The woman walked towards him, the light from the overhanging lamp finally reaching her face. She looked up at him with her dark brown eyes as he fought hard to suppress the grin that spread across his face. 

            "Hey." She spoke quietly, a soft smile playing on her face as well.

            "Hey." Vaughn replied, stepping closer to her while tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She nestled closer to his touch as he lowered his hand to her jaw before bringing his own lips to hers. He gently took her in, relishing each moment with her. She eagerly participated, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders, her hands playing with his hair, as his roamed over her back, bring her closer.

            Their oxygen supply soon exhausted, the two pulled apart, looking into each other's eyes. Vaughn's eyes strayed as he quickly surveyed her body, inspecting her wounds.

            A fading scar lined her face from her lip to cheekbone, her wrist in a cast. Having sustained to gunshot wounds- one in the shoulder, the other to her chest, she was still bandaged. The stab wound to her side was healing nicely, as it hadn't gone too deep. A look of concern crossed his face as he spoke, "Syd, are you alright?"

            She looked down at the floor, "Vaughn I'm fine." She spoke quickly. Not convinced, he shot her a stern look. "Stop worrying about me. I'm fine." She stated again. "Really."

            He pursed his lips, forming a straight line while the worry lines on his forehead seemed to multiply. He said nothing, creating a silence that blanketed the air. His heart ached over her pain, a guilty conscience plaguing his mind. 

_            ***Flashback***_

"We need to set up for a chest tube right away." A nurse called out while wheeling the woman down the white hallway.  

  
            "Pulse is ready. Get her on 10 liters blood mass."  

The voices registered in Vaughn's mind as he briskly walked next to the stretcher, but he couldn't process the words. His mind racing, in denial, in disbelief that this could actually be happening. 

  
            "Get a trauma panel, U.A., type and cross for four." 

  
            "Two large bore I.V.s, squeeze in a saline. Prep the chest."   

"B.P.'s 80 Palp, pulse 110." 

A chorus of voices bombarded his brain, until one particular one caught his attention. "Vaughn!"  He turned and saw Jack Bristow facing him. Vaughn opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, finally he started frantically mumbling incoherently. Jack interrupted him. 

"Vaughn, I'm sorry but you can't be here." He ignored his voice and pressed on further. 

  
            He watched as they wheeled her into the operating room, a nurse stepped in front of him, forbidding him to follow as the glass door swung shut. He stepped forward, straining to hear the doctors that hovered over her body. 

  
            "One percent lidocaine." One of them called out.  

  
            "Pulse ox 92 on 10 liters." 

  
          "We need to intubate. Six and a half..." 

  
            Jack's worried face shown through his usual stoic manner, momentarily distracted by the doctors' rapid orders.  

  
          "Chest tube output is 1200ccs. All right, let's prep for right-sided thoracotomy" He vaguely heard through the closed doors. 

He turned to him rapidly. "Vaughn, you HAVE to leave. SD-6 security will be in here in a matter of seconds. We cannot blow her cover." He looked back at the forlorn woman lying on the stretcher. Jack forcefully grabbed a hold of his shoulders, preventing him to go any further. Vaughn frantically stared into the elder Bristow's eyes, his turbulent emotions momentarily subsided and he was able to think clearly. He swallowed and nodded, turning away. 

"I'll call you with any news." Jack spoke to the man.

            It was killing him, not being able to be there. He listlessly paced around the Ops Center all day. Finally, Eric approached him again.

            "Look man," He started, "She's going to be fine, it's been a week." Vaughn looked up at his friend. 

            "I know that, it shouldn't have been a week, it shouldn't have been anything." He said in frustration. 

            "Vaughn this is not your fault." Weiss stated firmly. "Sydney's still in the hospital because of Nadia Salvko, not because of you."

            Vaughn shook his head a little, saying nothing. He collapsed into his chair, Weiss taking a seat on his desk while studying him intently. He looked around, trying to find something to cheer him up a little. 

            "Hey, I hear she's being released tomorrow." He offered. 

            Vaughn nodded, "Yeah, she's been ordered to rest for another week. SD-6 gave her time off." He concluded, his thoughts somewhere else. 

            Weiss stood up and patted his shoulder encouragingly, "She's going to be fine." He stated again. 

***Present***

            She looked up at his worried face, and once again brought her lips to his. All thoughts flew out the window as they delved deeper into the kiss, igniting passion, and exhilaration that coursed through their bodies. 

            He took her hand and smiled at her somewhat nervously. Her brow furrowed, noticing his anxiety, "What's wrong?" She spoke concernedly. 

            "Nothing." He smiled at her, "Come on, I want to show you something." He said, beckoning her to follow him as he slightly tugged on her hand. 

            She gave him a slightly confused look as he led her through out the dimly lit warehouse. "Vaughn, where are we going?" She asked with amusement.

            "Shhhh, just wait." He said softly.  They approached a tall heavy door, leading to a place in the warehouse that Sydney hadn't even known existed. "Okay now, close your eyes." He commanded gently. 

"Vau…"

"Just do it." He interrupted, excitement in his voice. 

She complied with a grin, Vaughn smiled at the sight of her. Sydney felt a slight draft flow over her as he opened the door. She immediately noticed that the rain became considerably louder as it beat upon the roof. He led her a few more steps, taking both her hands in his. 

"Okay." He said tenderly, "Open your eyes."

A chill ran through her entire body at the sight that met her eyes. Hundreds of tiny white candles scattered the room, their dancing flames creating a delicate light. She looked overhead, her breath caught in her chest as she discovered a tall glass ceiling, the falling rain streaming down the sides of the arched skylights. But her entire body froze when she saw what was before her. Michael Vaughn, down on one knee. Her heart stopped beating as goose bumps covered her body, as she started to shake.  

She looked down into his eyes, filled with love as he smiled and gave a short laugh as he grabbed her arms to steady her. "Come on, you can't be more nervous than me." He joked slightly. A tear rolled down her cheek as she let out a tiny laugh, amazed at how she was still standing, given the current state of her weak knees. Vaughn took a deep breath, his mind racing as he started to speak.

"Sydney, you mean the world to me. Actually you mean more than that. I love you. I love you so much it hurts." He started to ramble, deviating from the speech he had carefully planned out in his head.  She sank to her knees on the floor in front of him, tears now streaming down her face. 

"I can't stand to be without you, and every minute that you're not with me I feel incomplete. You hold my heart. I know that now our lives are crazy and we can't be together, but when this is all over," He paused, taking a black velvet box out of his suit pocket, opening it to reveal a glistening diamond, "Sydney Anne Bristow, will you marry me?"

            Before another second passed she found her lips once again on his, this time full of so much love she thought she would burst. Finally their lips parted, she rested her forehead on his and shut her eyes, now thoroughly sated with tears. "Yes." She said breathlessly. She took his face in her hands, as her eyes met his, " I love you so much." She said as the rain quietly pounded above them. 

            A huge smile spread across his face and was soon mirrored by hers. He swallowed and reached down for the velvet box. Sydney's eyes took to the dazzling diamond ring, a diamond set in the center, offset by two sparkling smaller stones on each side. He reached in his pocket again as he began to speak, "Now I know, for obvious reasons," he stated, "That you can't go around displaying this. Yet." 

            "It's so beautiful." She breathed almost silently.

 He pulled out a delicate gold chain necklace and took the ring in his hand, "But from now on, you can always be wearing it." He said taking the gorgeous ring and lacing it on to the necklace. "Until then." He concluded as he brushed her dark hair back, slipping the necklace around her, and clasping it in back. 

            She smiled broadly but couldn't stop the tears as she collapsed into his arms. He held her close, reveling at her presence.   

            Neither knew how much time passed, both kneeling on the hard cement floor of the warehouse, the flickering candles dancing in the background, completely enveloped in each other before he finally spoke. 

"Promise me," He started, a shadow playing across his face, "Promise me, I'll never lose you." He implored as she grasped the ring to her chest, the rain gently beating overhead. 

"I promise." Sydney spoke as she let herself get lost in his eyes, all the while holding the ring close to her heart.

FIN

Well I hope y'all enjoyed this story! I had fun writing it, so drop me a line and tell me what you think. Hopefully it didn't get too mushy (is that a word?) at the end for y'all. Thanks for reading!


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